Blue Moon: Book Three: Eye of the Storm
by Leafsplash-Of-ThunderClan
Summary: Amberpaw, Snowpaw and Dewpaw have finally completed their journey and fulfilled the prophecy, but things are far from over. SkyClan are being questioned whether they belong by the lake. Meanwhile, a group of cats from twolegplace are starting cause havoc amongst all the clans. Tensions are rising, loyalty is tested, a storm is brewing and it's only so long until it breaks.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**STOP!**

**This is the third book in the Blue Moon series! Make sure you've read the first book, entitled Untold Secrets, and the second book, A Journey, before reading any further! Thank you! :3**

**Anyway, sorry about that. Don't want any new readers accidentally spoiling it for themselves. Any who, sorry I didn't get this up any earlier, I've been a bit busy, what with getting back to school and stuff. We'll be choosing our GCSE options soon, eek!**

**Anyway, this is a bit of a weird Prologue, hope you don't mind. ^^ Apologies if there are any mistakes in the allegiances, I've checked them through, but there's the possibility I've missed something. :3**

* * *

Allegiances

THUNDERCLAN

Leader Bramblestar – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Pebblepaw

Deputy Lionblaze – golden tabby tom with amber eyes (standing in

for Squirrelflight whilst she nurses her kits)

Medicine Cat Leafpool – light brown tabby she-cat with amber

eyes, apprentice, Jayfeather

Warriors  (toms and she-cats without kits)

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom

Sorreltail – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

Spiderleg – long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and

amber eyes

Birchfall – light brown tabby tom

Whitewing – white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Stormpaw

Berrynose – cream-coloured tom

Apprentice, Puddlepaw

Hazeltail – small grey-and-white she-cat

Mousewhisker – grey-and-white tom

Orangeflight – orange tabby she-cat with green eyes

Poppyfrost – tortoiseshell she-cat

Cinderheart – grey tabby she-cat

Lionblaze – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Foxleap – reddish tabby tom

Icecloud – white she-cat

Toadstep – black-and-white tom

Rosepetal – dark cream she-cat

Blossomfall – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Bumblestripe – very pale grey tom with black stripes

Apprentice, Mosspaw

Ivypool – silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Molespots – spotted brown-and-cream tom

Lilystream – dark brown tabby she-cat with white patches

Seedflight – very pale ginger she-cat

Apprentice, Honeypaw

Dewclaw – dark grey tom with amber eyes

Ambersky – pale grey she-cat with white patches

Snowfall – white tom with amber eyes

Apprentices (at least six moons, in training to become warriors)

Jayfeather – grey tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Pebblepaw – golden tabby tom

Puddlepaw – very pale grey tom

Honeypaw – golden brown tabby she-cat

Stormpaw – very dark grey tom

Mosspaw – long-furred tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Cherryflower – ginger she-cat, mother to Redkit (dark fox-red

tom) and Lakekit (pale ginger tabby she-kit with white patches)

Squirrelflight – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother to

Nettlekit (mottled pale grey tom), Finchkit (dark brown-and-

white tabby tom) and Flamekit (very bright ginger she-kit)

Dovewing – pale grey she-cat with blue eyes, expecting

Bumblestripe's kits

Daisy – cream long-furred cat from horseplace

Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Brightheart –white she-cat with ginger patches she-cat

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Greystripe – long-haired grey tom

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Millie – striped grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

SHADOWCLAN

Leader Crowstar – black-and-white tom

Deputy Toadfoot – dark brown tom

Apprentice, Thornpaw (pale brown tabby tom)

Medicine Cat Berrywhisker – mottled grey she-cat

Warriors Applefur – mottled brown she-cat

Ratscar – brown tom with a long scar running down his

back

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Olivenose – tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw – light brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Ravenpaw (black-and-white tom)

Shrewfoot – grey she-cat with black feet

Scorchfur – dark grey tom

Ivytail – black, white and tortoiseshell she-cat

Tigerheart – dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt – cream-furred she-cat

Pinenose – black she-cat

Ferretclaw – cream-and-grey tom

Starlingwing – ginger tom

Apprentice, Smallpaw (small black she-cat)

Snowypelt – small white she-cat

Queens Kinkfur – tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all

angles

Snowbird – pure white she-cat (mother to Mottlekit and

Nightkit)

Elders Littlecloud – very small tabby tom, former medicine cat

Snaketail – dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail

Smokefoot – black tom

WINDCLAN

Leader Onestar – brown tabby tom

Deputy Sedgewhisker – light brown tabby she-cat

Appprentice, Wildpaw (silver tabby tom)

Medicine Cat Kestrelflight – mottled grey tom

apprentice, Larkpaw (dark grey she-cat)

Warriors Crowfeather – dark grey tom

Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom

Gorsetail – very pale grey-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws

Heathertail – light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Harespring – brown-and-white tom

Apprentice, Eaglepaw (dark reddish tabby tom)

Leaftail – dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Emberfoot – grey tom with two dark paws

Apprentice, Falconpaw (pale brown-and-white tabby she-cat)

Sunstrike – tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on

her forhead

Swallowtail – dark grey she-cat

Apprentice, Swiftpaw (golden brown tabby she-cat)

Whiskernose – light brown tom

Boulderfur – large pale grey tom

Crouchfoot – black tom

Tinystep – very pale grey she-cat

Quickbird – dark brown she-cat

Mudpelt – brown-and-cream tom

Hawkclaw – large dark brown tom (formerly Strongpaw,

renamed at his request after killing a hawk)

Rabbitfoot – pale brown she-cat with white paws

Queens Furzepelt – grey-and-white she-cat (mother to Littlekit)

Elders Ashfoot – grey she-cat, former deputy

Whitetail – small white she-cat

RIVERCLAN

Leader Mistystar – grey she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy Grasspelt – light brown tom

Medicine Cat Mothwing – dappled golden she-cat

Apprentice, Willowshine (grey tabby she-cat)

Warriors Mintfur – light grey tabby tom

Apprentice, Sandypaw (very pale ginger tom)

Icewing – white she-cat with blue eyes

Pebblefoot – mottled grey tom

Apprentice, Morningpaw (very pale grey tabby she-cat)

Duskfur – brown tabby she-cat

Apprentice, Swanpaw (white she-cat with blue eyes)

Mallownose – light brown tabby tom

Robinwing – tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Apprentice, Pikepaw (black-and-silver tabby tom)

Hollowflight – dark brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Duckpaw (dark grey-and-white tabby tom)

Mossyfoot – brown-and-white she-cat

Rushtail – light brown tabby tom

Heronbeak – brown tabby tom

Littlestream – tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentice, Shadepaw (very dark grey she-cat)

Cloudysky – grey-and-white she-cat

Goldenlight – very pale ginger she-cat

Rapidstream – pale brown-and-white tom

Rainsplash – dark grey she-cat

Queens Minnowtail – dark grey she-cat, (mother to Dark-kit and

Splashkit)

Troutstream – pale grey tabby she-cat (mother to Rushingkit,

Greykit and Bluekit)

Mosspelt – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Elders Reedwhisker – black tom

Greymist – pale grey tabby she-cat

SKYCLAN

Leader Leafstar – brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy Sharpclaw – dark ginger tom

Medicine Cat Frecklewish – mottled light brown tabby she-cat with

spotted legs, apprentice, Brackenpaw (light brown tabby tom)

Warriors Waspwhisker – grey-and-white tom

Shrewtooth – skinny black tom

Ebonyclaw – striking black she-cat, former daylight-warrior

Billystorm – ginger-and-white tom

Harveymoon – white tom, former daylight-warrior

Rockshade – black tom

Bouncefire – ginger tom

Sagewhisker – pale grey tom

Mintfur – grey tabby she-cat

Rabbitleap – very pale brown tom

Creekfeather – grey tabby tom

Nettlesplash – pale brown tom

Plumwillow – dark grey she-cat

Honeysplash – light golden she-cat

Birdflight – black she-cat with a grey muzzle

Sandypelt – light ginger-and-white tom

Harryclaw – grey tom with a pale muzzle and underbelly

Robinsong – golden brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Mousepaw (small pale brown she-cat)

Flintclaw – dark grey-and-ginger tom

Shadewillow – black she-cat

Greywhisper – very dark grey she-cat

Sparrowfoot – black tom with one white paw

Cloudfoot – brown tabby tom with white paws

Berrystep – pale brown tabby tom

Brightwing – ginger-and-white she-cat

Whitefern – white she-cat with green eyes

Redflower – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Queens Fallowfern – pale brown she-cat

Firesong – dark ginger she-cat (daughter of Billystorm and

Leafstar, mother to Flintclaw's kits, Sootkit, small dark grey

tom, and Aspenkit, golden brown tabby she-kit)

Tinycloud – small white she-cat (Clovertail's daughter,

mother to Sagewhisker's kits, Wildkit, dark ginger-and-

white tom, Lark-kit, pale grey she-kit with black points,

Wolfkit, dark grey tom with black paws, and Frostkit, small

white tom)

Stormwhisker – grey-and-ginger she-cat, expecting

Sparrowfoot's kits

Elders Echosong – silver tabby she-cat with green eyes, former

medicine cat

Patchfoot – very old black-and-white tom

Clovertail – light brown she-cat with white belly and legs

Petalnose – pale grey she-cat

Cherrytail – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS

Smoky – muscular grey-and-white tom who lives in a barn

at the horseplace

Floss – small grey-and-white she-cat who lives at the

horseplace

Willow – smoky grey she-kit, lives at the horseplace

Poppy – pale grey she-kit, lives at horseplace

Stripe – striped dark grey tom, lives at horseplace

Spots – spotted silver tabby she-kit, lives at horseplace

Apple – dark grey-and-white she-kit, lives at horseplace

Nutmeg – pale brown she-kit, lives at horseplace

Oak – pale grey tabby tom, lives at horseplace

Red – reddish dark ginger tom with a glossy pelt, lives in

the twoleg nest at the horseplace

* * *

Prologue

He wore the darkness like a second pelt, melting in and out of the shadows, elusive as the night itself. As he stalked through the jungle of grey stone and red-stone walls, pawsteps, light as clouds, were the only sound he made.

In the distance an array of lights; yellow, orange, white, red, flickered, casting the town into an un-natural light. Slipping under a fence and into a narrow alleyway, he paused for a moment to taste the air. _A patrol of the watchers have passed by recently, _he observed silently, _all seems to be well._

The screech of sirens erupting from the nearby thunder-path, the black tom decided to continue onwards, skulking forwards, chosing the cover of the shadows once more.

As he grew closer, he found a sly grin creeping to his face. Just wait until he told The Guardian of his findings, he'd be delighted. It would be the perfect thing to take his mind off the uprising. The black tom felt a snarl rise in his throat just at the thought of uprising.

In the couple of moons before he'd been assigned his quest, a small group of cats within the divisions had broken free of The Guardian's reign to set up their own group, to stand up against the The Guardian's rule. They called themselves, in an attempt to mock the names given to the divisions, 'The Protectors.' The black tom absolutely despised them.

Brushing aside the thoughts, the tom blinked before continuing, his pawsteps echoing along the shadowed alleyway. Tall structures, which were red-stone in daylight, were cloaked in darkness and appeared a shady grey.

It was a cool night, not quite cold, but when the black tom exhaled, soft clouds billowed in the darkness. Ducking through a hole in a crumbling fence, the tom found a small smile creeping to his features as his surrounding unfolded before him. He knew exactly where he was now, the heart of the central division of town. He was fast approaching the Guardian's den, which he estimated was, at a fast pace, a few minutes travel. He'd have to get past the guards first, of course. Likely, the Guardian would be asleep, or already in discussion with a high figure from one of the divisions, the evening reports, so he might have to wait a little.

As he travelled, skulking through the shadows, he gave thought to his littermates, how were they faring since he'd last seen them? His sister he hadn't seen for many moons, she had been transferred to The Healers when she was just eight moons as breeding stock. Now, at 24 moons, he suspected that she'd already birthed several litters for the division. Little nieces and nephews. The black tom would take an interest in his kin… But the fact was that he cared very little for his family, his sister particularly. She-cats, they were so weak.

However, he did share a bond with his two brothers, they were very close in fact. But other than that, the black tom didn't bother sparing thought towards his relations. It wasn't like he knew who his father was anyway, so that scored him out. His mother? Probably dead, she'd been part of the Breeding Stock for The Watchers. She hadn't exactly been young when she'd birthed the tom and his littermates, she would probably have gotten too old for the job since then and been 'dealt with' by one of the Guardian's closest followers.

Night-black fur glossy in the moonlight, the tom paused for a moment to smooth down his pelt. He wanted to be presentable for his encounter with the Guardian, he'd only met him a few times and one thing that you should always know about the Guardian was that it wasn't just first impressions that left an impact on him. He liked a cat to be consistent, to be just as well presented and polite the second time as the first time meeting him.

After a few quick rasps of the tongue, his pelt lay flat and slick against his lithe frame. He was ready for his meeting with the Guardian.

Right ear twitching as the cry of a bird sounded from behind him, the jet-black tom carried on his way, easily navigating the tangle of stone structures and maze-like alleyways. He at last emerged into a long alleyway, several silver twoleg-waste trunks lining the the way, glinting in the moonlight.

At the end of the alleyway stood a tumbling red-stone wall. In the centre of the wall was a large hole, concealed by a draping of lichen. Either side sat two cats, tall and proud in the dull light.

To the left was a large, solidly built, white tom with a scarred pelt and yellow eyes. The other cat was much leaner, but with powerful hindlegs. He was a dark ginger tom with eyes of a soft green and neat white paws. The black tom recognised them instantly.

"Ray, Sniff, it's been a while," he strode forwards calmly, but with complete confidence. When he reached them, he sat down, tail flicking from side to side, "You look well."

Ray, the large white tom, blinked for a moment, yellow eyes clouding, "Night," he grunted, regarding the black tom warily, "You've returned from your quest," he cast a brief glance over at his acomplice, "Sniff and I were starting to think you'd gotten lost on your way home," there was a hint of mocking in his tone.

Night ignored the guard, _He'll be much more respectful when I'm named the Guardian's successor, _he thought confidently, giving a slight smirk. _He's just jealous that I got to go on a quest while he sat here, doing nothing._

The dark ginger tom, Sniff, was much more welcoming, "Night! Brother, I feared you'd never return," he gave a little smile, pale green gaze warm, "Welcome," he shot a brief glance over at Ray, "I pressume you're here to deliver your report to the Guardian?"

Night let his startlingly blue gaze linger on his littermate, "Thank you," he dipped his head to Sniff, but deliberately ignored Ray, "Yes, is he busy?" he peered behind the dark ginger tom before sitting up on his haunches and casually licking his paw before drawing it behind his ear, "Only, I was hoping I'd get to speak with him immediately, I have much to share with him," his blue gaze drifted to the sky, deep in thought.

Sniff regarded him curiously, "Oh, you located those clan cats then did you?" he inquired inquistitively, meeting the black tom's piercing gaze.

Night held his brother's gaze, "I'm afraid that information is strictly confidential," he snorted, turning up his nose, smirking a little, "I couldn't possibly tell you."

_Now, this was a really good way to annoy his brother._ Sniff was a very curious, borderline nosy, cat. He liked to know _everything_ that was going on, if he didn't know something, it bugged him and he tended to get very frustrated.

Sniff pouted, clearly annoyed by this, "Oh, come on Night! As if I'd tell anyone! You know me, I always keep my mouth shut."

The black tom ignored him, "So, I assume the Guardian's just proceeding with the evening reports?" he questioned, turning his gaze to Ray, "He won't be much longer, will he?"

The white tom glared at him, "Drake is giving his report right now, so, _no_, he won't be much longer," he spat bitterly. Night and Ray had never gotten along well, so it didn't really bother the black tom.

He shrugged it off, "I suppose I'll just wait then."

Tail curling around his paws, the three cats sat in silence for several heartbeats. Night realised that if he listened really carefully, he could actually make out the conversation between the Guardian and Drake, the Chief Watcher, going on behind the wall.

"Cassie birthed four kits last night, two toms and two she-kits. One of the she-kits was rather small though, weaker than the others."

That voice, rough and gravelly, was recognisable as Drake. Curiosity sparked in his deep blue gaze as he strained to hear the Guardian's response.

"I assume you dealt with her then? There is no room for weakness within the divisions, you, of all cats, should know that."

It was the low, rapsy tone of the Guardian. Night listened keenly.

"Of course, my guardian. Dead before dawn."

Night went to shuffle a little closer, but Sniff stopped him, "Hey, this is a private discussion, completely confidential. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stop listening in," he gave a little smirk, amusement glimmering in his pale green gaze. Night frowned, but before he could reply, Sniff added, "Just doing my job, Night, you wouldn't want the Guardian removing me from my position," he sat up a little taller, "The Guardian has entrusted me to do this job and I won't let him down. It's because of him we're all alive."

After several more moments, the draped lichen rippled and from the crumbling stone wall emerged Drake, eyes glinting in the darkness. A powerful reddish tabby tom with green eyes, a pelt marked by scars of battles fought long ago, and with extrordinarily long claws, he was certainly a cat you didn't want to mess with.

He nodded to Ray, Sniff and Night each in turn before carrying on down to the end of the alleyway where he met two of his Senior Watchers, a very dark grey she-cat named Shadow and a bright ginger tom with half an ear missing, going by the name of Phoenix.

The three cats departed, dissolving into the shadows. Night watched for a moment, before turning to his brother. Sniff held his piercing blue gaze, "I'll go tell the Guardian you're here, he should have enough time to speak with you before he sleeps; he's finished with all the evening reports," with a motion of his tail, he dissapeared through the lichen.

The black tom could make out words being exchanged between the Guardian and Sniff, but they were talking very softly, so he couldn't quite distinguish exactly what they were saying. He did hear his name crop up occassionaly, however.

After many long heartbeats, Sniff rememerged, slipping out from the hole in the wall. His pale green gaze lingered on Night for a moment, "He'll see you now," he murmured.

Night gave a grateful nod, inhaling and exhaling briefly before calmly dipping through the wall, brushing past the tangle of lichen.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, it was much darker on the other side, the lights of the town having all been blotted out by a single twisted oak tree. This had once been a twoleg nest, but then a fire completely ravaged the structure and all that was left was the oak, which had once stood proud beside the nest.

Since then, it had become the base of the Guardian, the all poweful leader of the cats of the town. It was under his control that the four groups, The Watchers, The Attackers, The Defenders and The Healers(sometimes known as The Carers), worked, together, an unformidable force, certainly one to be reckoned with.

Night was a Watcher, working under Drake, the Chief Watcher, who, in turn, worked under the Guardian. He was proud to be a Watcher, yet but he couldn't help but feel a burning desire for more, more power. It was his ambition to the next Guardian, to become the Guardian's successor. It was no secret that the current Guardian was getting on in his moons, it wouldn't be long until he picked his successor. _I will be the one he picks, he has to pick me. This quest only proves I'm the perfect cat for the job._

When his eyes had adjusted and he could at last see beyond his own paws, Night strode towards the Twisted Oak, head bowed in respect. Amongst the roots, which formed a protective shelter, was lain out a very dark grey tom, with thick, darker tabby stripes. His pelt was patchy in places, but glossy, reflecting the moon's pale light. The most striking thing, however, about this cat was his eyes. His left was a deep blue, the colour of the bluest sky, and his left, a soft amber. _The Guardian._

Night dipped his head in submission as he approached the Guardian, the most powerful cat in the whole of the town. _I could just kill him. Here and now. I could tell Sniff and Ray a cat from the Uprising appeared and killed him, that he named me his successor in his dying breath._ The idea appealed to him, but he knew cats would be suspicious, no doubt he'd eventually be discovered as the killer. Besides, he held a fair amount of respect for this cat, he didn't want to kill him, not yet at least.

The Guardian beckoned with a flick of his tail for Night to sit before him, gaze unrevealing. The black tom obeyed, settling himself before his guardian, respectfully giving another dip of his head.

The dark grey tabby tom let his gaze pick over the black tom for a moment, before mewing,"Well?" there was no introduction, the Guardian wasn't like that, he got straight to the point. There was certainly no dithering whilst the Guardian was around.

Night took a deep breath, casting a brief glance over his shoulder before spilling his news, "Titch's words were true. Those three cats, what were they called?" he paused, "Amber paws or something… And her two brothers… I manged to track them on their return journey, they were with a large group of cats, that clan they spoke of I think?"

The Guardian gave a smirk, "Ah, wonderful," he rasped, approval glowing in his miss-matched gaze, "I knew I could count on you to get a job done, Night. Perhaps there is a place for you in this town after all?" for a moment he was deep in thought, then he shook his head, as if trying to shake off the thoughts, "Anyway, what else did you discover?" his intense gaze burned into the black tom.

Night ignored his penetrating gaze, inhaling a steady breath before responding smoothly, "The leader of their group is a brown-and-cream tabby, named Leaf or something odd? But the three young cats, the dark grey tom, the white tom and the grey-and-white she-cat, they appeared to be assisting her in leading?" he paused for a moment, not quite meeting the Guardian's gaze, "They had young kits amongst them"-

Before the black tom could continue, the Guardian cut in, smirking, "Kits," he purred slyly, thoughts sparking behind his miss-matched gaze, "Young kits you say? That's good, they won't have many memories of life before when we 'bring' them here," his gaze lingered on Night for a moment, before drifting up to the dark sky, "Yes, this is turning out far better than planned. New blood for the group, just what we need. Speaking of which," he locked gazes with the black tom once more, "The Healers; I'm considering disbanding their division and instead dividing the healers amongst the other divisions. I believe it would be far more effective to have them mixed amongst the other divisions, rather than separate, they'll be able to treat more cats at a much faster pace," he blinked calmly, his cold gaze piercing through Night, "Your thoughts on this idea?"

Night was mute for a moment, deep in concentration, deciding what the Guardian would want him to say, "It's an excellent idea, my Guardian."

The Guardian frowned and for a moment a shiver of fear rippled through the black tom, _Did I say the wrong thing?_ The dark grey tabby glared at Night, giving a snort, "That's what they all say. I thought you were different, Night? The whole reason I assigned you that quest was to test you and you passed," unreadable emotions raced behind his cold gaze for a moment, so fast, Night began to doubt for a moment that he'd ever seen it at all, "Now, Night. I'm going to be honest with you. I'm getting old, you know that, every cat in every division knows that. The day will soon come when I must name a successor," he took a deep breath before continuing in a raspy tone, "You are certainly at the top of the list of the cats I am considering as a successor, but your problem is this; I need someone with their own thoughts, new thoughts, to make my cats stronger. That is the one thing you lack. You just go with the flow, nodding and agreeing, just like so many others. I need a cat that can change the divisions for the better, you don't seem to be that cat."

Night was still for a moment, thoughts pulsing through him. There was tinge of pride in his blue gaze, pride that the Guardian was considering him as his successor, though it was joined also by a little annoyance, a tiny hint of frustration. He was only trying to please the Guardian! Of course he had ideas! Clearly, he was the perfect cat for the job, the perfect successor and next Guardian of the divisions. He just had to prove it to the Guardian.

"But I am that cat," he objected, sitting a little taller and directly meeting the dark grey tabby's eyes, "I have thoughts, ideas! I completed the quest, didn't I? Let me prove it to you once more, I won't let you down," there was a slight challenge in his ice-blue gaze.

The Guardian wasn't fazed. For several heartbeats he sat still, thoughts swimming around his head, then he gave a nod, "Alright then. I planned on sending Drake and a few of the watchers to scout about, find where that 'clan' has its base, but perhaps you could lead them instead?" his tail curled around his paws and he paused for a moment, "There will be no instructions on my behalf. You will solely responsible for the cats you take and if you fail, it's over," he gave a flick of his tail, claws unsheathing before ripping them through a fallen leaf that lay on the ground nearby, tearing it in half, "Understood?"

There was a slight hesitation in Night's response, but he gave a nod.

The Guardian grinned, flashing a set of white fangs, "Good, you accept then?"

Night sat tall, the moon reflecting in his piercing blue eyes, "Yes. I accept."

* * *

**Just to clarify, Night and the other cats in the divisions call the town as it is, a town. I know Warriors call it Twolegplace, but I'm just saying that the cats in the town call it the same as us, it just kinda figures.**

**Anyway, a few of you guys were asking, back in A Journey, when we first met the town cats, about what would happen with them? My answer? I won't say exactly when, but they will become very key parts in the upcoming story. Oh, and you know that black cat that was following Ambersky, Snowfall and Dewclaw? That was Night. :3 A few of you were asking who he was, now you know. **

**-yawn- Anyway, I'm tired. Apologies, the Prologue is pretty weird, but oh well.**

**Don't forget to let me know your thoughts! **

**Live, Love, Read and Review!**

**Love, Leafy x**


	2. Chapter One

**Well, hello my lovelies. Wow, I didn't mean to make this chapter so long. 7,679 words, it's the longest chapter I've ever written! :O I kind of wanted to make up for updating late. I'm so sorry about that by the way, it's almost been a month since I posted the Prologue. Well, first chapter and we're straight into the action, I hope you'll enjoy it. Oh, by the way, I made a special PMV for Valentines Day about Rapidstream and Ambersky, well, more Rapidstream's crush on Ambersky. It's on Youtube, if you just look me up on Youtube, I'm Streamwhiskers, then you should find it, it's called Reaching. :3**

**Oh, also! I've got a little Blue Moon Contest! The theme is 'What If'. You can find more info about it on my Deviantart page, you can find me there as Streamwhisker. :3 Got two entries so far, I'm hoping for a few more! There are prizes by the way! The closing date is my birthday, the 15th of March. So excited for my birthday! :)**

**Disclaimed - I do not own Warriors.**

**WyldClaw - Thank you so much! -huggles-**

**Willowdream of ForestClan - I know right? SkyClan are just downright unlucky. :/**

**Orangeflight ~ Aw, thank you! -hugs- Thank you so much for entering the Blue Moon contest as well. :3**

**Numbuh 227 ~ Thank you. :) So sorry for the long wait, I've been soup-er busy. xD Sorry, I just had to do that.**

**Spottedmoth123 ~ xP Thank you!**

**Clearfeather ~ Aw, thank you so much! But really, I'm not good enough, not yet at least. Maybe one day though. -wistful sigh-**

**Dovewing66 ~ Thank you so much for reviewing! Glad that you're enjoying it so far. So sorry for such a long wait. ^^'**

**koilered ~ Night is a little like Bramblestar actually, I hadn't realised that. Although Night is much more extreme, much more willing to do whatever it takes to achieve power. He would probably be willing to kill. xD**

**Jayfeather RULZ ~ He he, yes I did. :3**

**Clearfeather ~ :3 I did actually see your comments and I can't thank you enough for them. :) So I'll just give you a virtual cookie instead -hands cookie-**

**Brackenflame ~ ^^ Not much DewxRed action in this chappie, but there will be some in the next one, which I hope you'll like. :3**

**Stunna13 ~ :3 So sorry for taking so long! Life's been kinda hectic. ^^' Really? Wow, that's a lot of reading for one night! Glad you like it! I agree, Ambersky and Molespots are quite relatable, especially at first when Ambersky crushes on him, but Molespots hardly pays any thought to it. :)**

**Cats Are Awesome ~ Oh my goodness, this made my day! Of course you can write a fan fic about the town cats! It's quite funny really, 'cause I already have a super edition planned around them named The Guardian's Choice. :3 I'd be intrigued to hear a little bit of it when you've finished it if you wouldn't mind sharing it with me? :)**

**Chervilheart ~ Aw, thank you so so much! -hugs-**

**DEWPAW LOVER ~ He he, here's the next chapter for you. :3**

**arcticfoxlover ~ Been super busy! So sorry for such a long wait!**

**Whiskerstorm ~ :3 You should totally make an account, Fanfiction is such a great site and being a member really helps with keeping track of all the stories you're reading. :3**

**Phew, that took a while. Well, without further ado, Chapter One of Eye of the Storm! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Ambersky_

"Mousewhisker, can you lead a patrol to the WindClan border, take Seedflight, Foxleap, Dewclaw and Whitewing."

Ambersky was roused from her deep slumber by the echoing meow of Lionblaze, ThunderClan's deputy whilst Squirrelflight nursed her kits. Prising open tired eyes, the pale grey-and-white warrior took a moment to just let her eyes adjust to the brightness of dawn streaming in through the Warriors' Den. In the six nights since Ambersky and her littermates had been made warriors, she still had yet to get used to awakening in her new nest in the Warriors' Den. It was so odd, after so many moons in the Apprentices' Den and then the moon and a half or so of travelling, a new den every night, to finally be sleeping in the Warriors' Den every night.

Blinking away the sleep, the young warrior slipped into a stretch, spine rippling into an arch. Around her, a few other cats were still deep in sleep; Orangeflight was sound asleep in her nest, her orange-and-white tabby pelt gently rising and falling as she slumbered. In the centre of the den Birchfall had just curled up, after sitting guard over the camp for the night. Nearer to the pale grey-and-white she-cat lay Toadstep and Ivypool, pelts brushing as they slept soundly. Ambersky smiled at the two mates' closeness, _I don't suppose it'll be long before more kits are on the way, _she thought, bright amber gaze lingering on the two cats for a moment. ThunderClan had been blessed with the birth of many kits in recent moons; there'd been Lionblaze and Cinderheart's kits, now apprentices, Cherryflower's kits, Redkit and Lakekit, Squirrelflight had also birthed Bramblestar's kits, whilst Dovewing was expecting Bumblestripe's kits. The nursery was full to bursting; Ambersky had overheard Bramblestar speaking with Squirrelflight about expanding it to accommodate ThunderClan's growing numbers.

Lightly stepping around Toadstep and Ivypool, Ambersky crossed the den and emerged into the hollow. Light flooded her vision and for a moment, the young warrior was blinded. After blinking a few times, however, her eyes were adjusted and gazing out at camp, she just smiled. The sun's warm rays reached out, caressing the pale grey-and-white she-cat with gentle warmth. With the scent of new life hanging in the air and the sky a faded blue, the darkest days of Leaf-bare had certainly passed, with New-leaf lingering, waiting to make a grand entrance.

The warrior paused for a moment, savouring the warmth, before she was approached by a spotted brown-and-cream tom, with eyes of a soft amber.

"Good morning," Molespots mewed softly, standing before the young warrior, "You seem to have slept well, it's a beautiful day, don't you think?" for a moment, their eyes met, then shyly, Ambersky glanced away, distracting her bright amber gaze with the sky.

"It is," she agreed, smiling warmly, "New-leaf is certainly on its way, thank StarClan."

Molespots edged a little closer to the grey-and-white she-cat, "I was just about to go hunting and I was wondering if you'd, uh, like to join me?" hope danced in his pale amber gaze, "I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine and all but"-

Ambersky couldn't help but give an amused purr, whiskers twitching, "Of course, I'd love to!" she held his gaze for a moment. There were a few little pesky thoughts nibbling away at her, however; was there something going on between the brown-and-cream tom and Lilystream? From what she'd seen and heard, the two had been growing closer ever since Ambersky and her brothers had left on the journey. The pale grey-and-white warrior couldn't help feel a hint of jealousy, how she wished to be as close to Molespots as Lilystream was. _I'm sure he doesn't like her in that way anyway, he can't do._ She'd considered asking the brown-and-cream tom about it, but quickly decided against it. She didn't want to interfere, however much it hurt her to see the two together.

Molespots grinned, amber eyes brightening, "Great!" he shot a glance over at at Lionblaze, standing tall on the Highledge next to Bramblestar, "Should we get going then? Before we're assigned to a patrol or something."

Ambersky nodded in agreement and the two warriors began to make for the Thorn Barrier, movements swift in the hope of exiting un-noticed. Ambersky was just about to duck under the tangle of thorns when pawsteps sounded beside them and a clear meow resounded, "And where do you think you two are going?"

Both cats froze, Ambersky giving a frustrated frown. They had been spotted. It looked like they were going to be tagged onto the end of a patrol after all. As she slowly inched round to face the cat, she felt a little like a kit again, trying to sneak out of camp and being caught.

Before them stood Bramblestar, eying the two warriors rather suspiciously, "Well? Are you going to answer my question?" he pressed.

The pale grey-and-white warrior swallowed, "We were just going hunting," she tried to meow as casually as possible, hope dancing in her amber eyes. _Please say he doesn't put us on patrol, I went on patrol twice yesterday!_

The dark brown tabby leader's amber gaze bore into Ambersky's pelt, "Hunting eh?" for a moment the young warrior wasn't sure whether Bramblestar believed them, "Well, Bumblestripe, Rosepetal, Lilystream and Snowfall are already out hunting and I believe Spiderleg and a few others have gone hunting as well," he gave a flick of his dark brown tabby tail towards the fresh-kill pile, "and as you can see, we're already well stocked," he paused for a moment, "However, the Queens are in need of a fresh change of bedding. Rather than hunting, could you two collect some moss instead?"

Ambersky couldn't help but give a groan, forgeting for a moment who she was speaking to, "But I'm a warrior now, can't the Apprentices do it?" her amber gaze was pleading. Collecting moss was one of the most dreary tasks of Apprenticeship. Ambersky had thought, now that she was at last a warrior, she would be able to leave those dull mornings of collecting moss behind. It seemed not.

Bramblestar gave her a firm look, "That's an order, Ambersky," his gaze flickered over to the spotted brown-and-cream tom, "You too, Molespots. Of course, the Apprentices would be doing this usually, but Ivypool and Lionblaze are taking them out battle training soon. They'll not miss such a valuable lesson for merely collecting moss," he met the pale grey-and-white warrior's gaze for a moment, sitting up taller, "So, being young warriors still, you two are to collect moss, whether you like it or not."

Ambersky sighed, her gaze drifting to her paws. She knew better than to argue with her leader, so just gave a nod, mumbling, "Yes, Bramblestar."

Molespots was much more respectful however, dipping his head politely to the dark brown tabby tom and holding his gaze evenly, "Of course, Bramblestar. We'll make sure it's the softest moss we can find."

Bramblestar gave a satisified nod, "Good," without further words, just a subtle flick of the tail, the dark brown tabby tom stalked off to the Nursery, pressumably to see his mate and kits.

Ambersky felt Molespots' tail gently touch her shoulder, "Come on then," he murmured softly, his amber gaze lingering on Bramblestar as he dissapeared into the shelter of the Nursery, before letting it drift to the pale grey-and-white warrior, "At least it's not searching the elders for ticks, eh?" amusement sparked in his pale amber eyes.

Ambersky let a smile creep to her face; it was impossible to be so down whilst around the brown-and-cream tom, "Good point," her amber gaze drifted to the Thorn Barrier, "Well, the sooner we get going, the sooner it's over," she gave a motion with the tip of her head.

Molespots nodded, but stayed rooted to the spot, "She-cats first," he purred, dipping his head politely to the young warrior, amusement shimmering in his pale amber orbs.

Ambersky felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment, her heart giving a little flutter, "Thank you," she began to pad back towards the Thorn Barrier, touching her tail-tip to Molespots' muzzle as she passed him, "Last one to the Mossy Hollow is a flea-brain," she muttered ever so softly, voice almost inaudible, before darting under the Thorn Barrier. The spotted brown-and-cream tom gave a smirk and lurched after her, slipping easily under the tangle of thorn and bramble tendrils.

Once in the open forest, Ambersky immediately began to race forwards, paws thrumming against the forest floor as she weaved in and out of the bare trees, sunlight streaming through the branches and warming her pelt.

Snatching a brief glance over her shoulder, the pale grey-and-white she-cat was surprised to find Molespots hot on her heels, pawsteps thundering a swift, steady beat.

Eyes stretching wide and swallowing briefly, Ambersky urged herself onwards, _Come on, you've got to beat him, _she encouraged herself, _You can't make a mouse-brain of yourself in front of him._

"Oh, come on Ambersky, you might as well give up now, you know I'm going to beat you," Molespots fell in beside her easily, keeping up the swift pace, amber eyes swimming with humour, "I'm unbeaten you know. I've never lost a race and I certainly don't plan on soiling that record."

Ambersky couldn't quite believe how the spotted warrior was speaking with such ease, she was already out of breath, her flanks heaving, _Maybe I should do this a little more often._ Glancing over at Molespots briefly, she responded, her words interrupted by gaspy breaths, "Oh, really… I… Well… We'll, uh… see about that once… once this is over," she panted, feeling the energy fading from her limbs. _Oh mouse-dung._

The pale grey-and-white warrior tried to ignore the aching in her legs and persisted, gritting her teeth and taking raspy breaths as she sprinted onwards. Molespots looked a little surprised by her rush of determination, but seemed to shake it off quickly, "Well, if you insist."

With a sudden rush of speed, he overtook the pale grey-and-white she-cat, his sights set on the approaching view of the Mossy Hollow. Ambersky gave a little growl of frustration, _I won't let him beat me._ But her legs seemed to think differently.

Eventually the brown-and-cream warrior began to slow, drawing to a halt in the centre of the Mossy Hollow, followed shortly by an out of breath Ambersky.

"I told you I'd never been beaten," he purred, amusement glinting in his amber gaze, "You're fast though, I'll give you that… just not fast enough."

Ambersky gave him a playful poke with her forepaw, "Hey, you didn't beat me by _that_ much."

"You got a head start though."

The young warrior gave him a glare and the conversation quickly changed subject, "Anyway, we'd better get collecting moss then, don't want Bramblestar having a go at us," he paused, thinking, "Or the queens for that matter."

Ambersky nodded, "Yeah," she picked her way over to a large clumping of moss on the edge of the hollow, "Hey, there's a lot over here," she touched her paw to the green substance to feel the moisture, "It's a little damp, but soft."

Molespots joined her, examining the moss closely, prodding it several times and even sniffing it, his mew didn't sound convinced though, "It's too damp. I don't want any kits catching a cold from the moisture," his gaze drifted to the pale sky above, "It's been in the shade, that's why. It hasn't had a chance for the dew to dry off it," he indicated with a flick of his tail towards patches of moss, dappled by sunlight, "The moss over there, however, might be a little dryer."  
Ambersky felt mouse-brained. Of course if the moss was in the shade it would be wet, even a kit could see that. Blinking, she followed the spotted brown-and-cream tom over to the patch of moss. Molespots rested his paw on the moss, pressing down on it gently to test how soft it was, "Yes, this is good. Nice and soft, warm too," his gaze drifted up to the sun, hanging low in the sky, "The Queens should appreciate this," he gave a smile before adding, "and I'm sure the kits would find it ideal for moss-balls."

Ambersky's gaze warmed, "Well, let's get collecting it then."

The brown-and-cream tom nodded in agreement and together they began to pull up the clumps of thick green moss. Hard to believe as it may seem, there was a certain technique to collecting the moss, which Molespots seemed to have mastered.

The younger warrior, however, didn't seem to have gotten the hang of it, even after so many moons of repeating this chore. Whenever she pulled up the moss, she managed to bring up earth as well. Snorting as several particles of earth managed to find their way up her nose, the pale grey-and-white warrior slumped, "StarClan, I'm hopeless at this."

Molespots glanced over at his accomplice, only to give a little chuckle, "You're not doing it right," he pointed out, gesturing to the flecks of earth on the moss and her own pelt, "Look, let me show you."

Ambersky didn't object, watching closely as the spotted brown-and-cream warrior demonstrated, "It's simple, once you get the hang of it. You're using your claws and they're getting hooked in the roots, that's why you're bringing up earth," he unsheathed his claws and did as she had done, sinking his claws into the soft, green substance and depositing it, along with a little earth, to one side, "Now that works sometimes, but this is a better way," he sheathed his claws and reached his paw underneath the moss, gently scooping it up and leaving the roots entact.

All the while, the pale grey-and-white she-cat had watched intently. Once Molespots had finished his demonstration, she attempted to copy his actions and, to her surprise, succeeded. Not a particle of dirt flecked the moss.

Molespots purred, "See? You've got it," his gaze flickered back to the pile of moss he'd already collected, "I've got quite a lot already, we shouldn't need too much more."

Ambersky gave a soft purr, grinning, amber eyes sparking with warmth. Putting her head down, she used Molespots' method to collect the remaining moss, working swiftly, but carefully.

The pile of moss continued to grow until it reached a substansial size and the spotted brown-and-cream tom turned to Ambersky, "How about we sneak in a quick hunting contest before we head back to camp? Whoever catches the first prey wins?" mischief flared in his pale amber orbs.

The pale grey-and-white she-cat grinned, amber eyes bright, "You're on."

_Snowfall_

After a successful hunt, Snowfall and the rest of the hunting patrol were returning to the Stone Hollow. Hanging limply from the white tom's jaws were a sparrow and a plump shrew, both still warm; freshly-caught. Lilystream trotted beside him, she too carrying prey from the morning's hunt, amber eyes bright and smiling warmly. Rosepetal also bore prey, a pair of mice.

But it was Bumblestripe who had made the star catch that morning, catching a squirrel and a blackbird. He made no big deal of it though, his only comments on the subject being that Dovewing would enjoy the squirrel. He had been a little anxious over the last quarter-moon or so, what with his mate expecting his kits. They were due within the next three quarter-moons and though ThunderClan had two excellent medicine cats, he couldn't help but be worried.

Snowfall didn't judge him though; if he were in the same situation, he'd probably be hopelessly worried; the white tom wasn't exactly the best at coping with anxieties.

As they walked, the white tom tried to ignore the moaning in his limbs. He'd hardly slept the night before, eventually resorting to a moonlight hunt to pass the time. Exhaustion lapped over him, nagging away at his bones. He tried to push it to the back of his mind.

It was as they padded in silence, only the song of birds breaking the quiet, Snowfall found his gaze caught by a clumping of white flowers, growing in the shade of a young beech tree. The white warrior stopped, pausing to gaze fondly at the flowers. _Snowdrops, _he thought with a purr, smiling. Snowdrops; they were the first sign New-Leaf was on its way, soon after the snowdrops would come the crocuses and with the crocuses, the blossoming of trees, stripped of life for so long.

Lilystream slipped in beside Snowfall, "What is it?" she asked, peering at the white tom queerly. Then she followed his pale amber gaze, spotting the snowdrops. Immediately a purr rumbled in her throat and a smile lit her gaze, "Snowdrops," she meowed brightly, "Finally! It's about time New-Leaf made an appearance. I'm so sick of Leaf-bare."

The long-furred white warrior grinned, but his gaze didn't leave the snowdrops, "Me too. I've missed the greens of the forest and the warmer days," he admitted.

Bumblestripe and Rosepetal, the remainder of the Hunting Patrol, paused, waiting on the two young warriors. Snowfall let his gaze linger on the early flowers before returing to the patrol, Lilystream scampering past him to reach the two other warriors before him.

Bumblestripe studied him for a moment, "Did you see something back there?" he asked, concern in his amber gaze.

Snowfall simply smiled, "Oh, it was nothing," he assured the pale grey tom, amber gaze warm. The striped warrior shot a brief glance over his shoulder, but gave a nod.

Silence fell upon the group once more, leaving the white tom to get lost in his thoughts, _New-leaf; every day we take a step closer_. The sight of the snowdrops and the simple thought of the warmer days were enough to brighten Snowfall's mood. Not that he'd been in a bad mood in the first place; no, that was Dewclaw's job was the grumpy one.

_Dewclaw. _The long-furred tom heaved a sigh, ever since their return to ThunderClan, the dark grey tom had returned to his grumpy way of life. It was as if the journey had never happened.

_Well, he's a bit wiser at least, maybe a little more patient… Okay, maybe not patient, but he's a bit politer? _Snowfall had no idea why his brother had returned to his old ways of before the journey, when they were just young apprentices. Well, actually, that was a lie; he did have a bit of an idea, but he didn't like to think about it too much.

_Surely he can't be missing Redpaw?_ He cast aside the thought instantly, _No, of course not. He's probably just… frustrated about something… Like the fact that Lakekit and Redkit snuck into the Warriors' Den and made moss-balls from his nest yesterday. _Finding that his nest was non-existent after returning from a patrol the day before certainly hadn't put a smile on the dark grey tom's face, quite the opposite in fact.

_No, it can't be that. _As much as he hated to admit, it had to be to do with Redpaw. He'd actually been happy when they were on the journey, spending time with Redpaw. It wasn't until they'd parted with the lost clan that he'd gone downhill.

Snowfall swallowed, a never-ending stream of thoughts thoughts swamping his mind. _What if Dewclaw starts meeting her? What if he already is? What if Bramblestar found out? He'd be exiled for sure!_

The white tom shook his head, as if by doing so, he could shake all the thoughts away. They'd reached the Thorn Barrier he realised, his gaze falling upon Rosepetal just as she ducked under the tangle of brambles. Bumblestripe followed shortly, then Snowfall, dropping low so that his pelt didn't get snagged on the thorns, as they'd done so many times before.

The hunting patrol pooled into camp, greeted by warm smiles and nods of approval from clanmates dotted around the hollow. The long-furred tom padded over to the fresh-killl pile, where a huddle of warriors were already gathered, sharing a meal. Snowfall dipped his head to his clanmates politely before depositing his catches on the pile, glancing up to spot Ambersky appearing from the entrance of the Nursery.

The pale grey-and-white she-cat noticed her brother almost immediately, bouncing over to join him, amber eyes bright, "Hey Snowfall!" she meowed brightly, skidding to a halt before him, "How was hunting? Catch any prey?" her amber gaze drifted to the fresh-kill pile, "Cause I don't know about you, but I feel like I haven't eaten in _moons_."

The white warrior chuckled, "It was good, thank you," he purred, gaze light and thoughts at last distracted from Dewclaw, "How about we share a meal then? I haven't yet eaten."

The patched warrior grinned, "Sure, what do you fancy?" her eyes picked over the fresh-kill pile, "I was hoping for that squirrel, if you don't mind?" she gestured with a flick of the tail to a catch that Snowfall knew Spiderleg had made on an earlier hunt.

"Yeah, I'm not that fussy really, I'm not massively hungry if I'm honest," he confessed, his gaze briefly flickering behind Ambersky. The dark grey form of Dewclaw had just appeared from under the Thorn Barrier, shortly followed by Foxleap and Whitewing. The Dawn Patrol had returned.

His sister hadn't noticed the arrival of their brother as she carefully picked the squirrel from the fresh-kill pile and moved a little way to just under the shelter of the overhanging highledge. Snowfall's gaze however stayed fixed on Dewclaw, watching as he and the rest of the patrol made their way over to report to Bramblestar. Judging from their easy smiles and relaxed body language, they hadn't experienced any trouble. The snowy-white tom let his pelt lie flat, his gaze at last returning to his sister.

She had settled down, the squirrel at her paws, beckoning with a flick of her tail for Snowfall to join her. The white tom shot a brief glance over at Dewclaw before joining Ambersky, slipping in beside her. A little unsure of what to say to his sister, he just smiled and took a small bite from the squirrel; since the journey, he'd been able to spend very little time around his littermates and was a little unsure of how to act around them. Dewclaw had quickly drifted apart from his littermates, but Snowfall was still trying to cling to the three littermates' closeness. So when the dark grey tom padded past, the snowy-pelted tom motioned to his brother to join them, "Dewclaw, join us."

The stocky grey tom hesitated, dark amber gaze narrowing and flickering over his littermates. Then he heaved a little sigh, "Okay, fine. I don't have anything else to do anyway," instead of sharing their squirrel, Dewclaw picked his own prey from the Fresh-kill pile, a wren, then joined his brother and sister.

The three littermates all sat in silence for a moment, until Ambersky attempted to start a conversation, "So, Dewclaw, how… How are things?" she struggled over her words, unsure of herself, "I haven't seen you much. Have you been, you know, okay?"

The dark grey tom, who had been intently focused on his meal, glanced up from his prey, "Oh. I'm fine," he grunted. Nothing else. He returned to taking mouthfulls of his wren, putting himself at a distance from his littermates.

Ambersky swallowed, clearly struggling, "Good to hear," she meowed, trying to sound bright and cheerful, "What about you Snowfall? Been spending much time with Seedflight lately?" amusement glinted in her bright amber gaze. She took another bite from the squirrel

Snowfall blinked, his ears growing hot at the mention of a certain pale ginger she-cat, "I-I… She's… We've both been busy, uh, with stuff," he stammered a little avoiding eye contact with his sister, "I haven't seen her much."

The pale grey-and-white she-cat looked shocked, "You mean you haven't even been _trying_ to spend time with her?" she mewed in disbelief, "StarClan, you are hopeless. Why don't you go on a moonlight walk or something, you've surely got time then."

Exhaustion clawing away at him, Snowfall feebly protested, "I would, but I kind of need all the sleep I can get at the moment. A moonlight walk isn't going to help that," he didn't tell her about his own little midnight hunts, which he'd been resorting to whenever he couldn't sleep, which was almost every other night now.

"You're still having trouble sleeping?" Ambersky seemed surprised, "I thought you said that it had gone away," she studied the white tom for a moment, "Then again, you do look awful. When _was_ the last time you slept?"

"Thanks for the support," he meowed sarcastically, giving a little roll of his eyes, "And I slept last night actually," _for a little while at least._

Ambersky didn't seem convinced, Dewclaw just onlooked blankly, having almost finished his wren. The pale grey-and-white she-cat sat up, pushing the squirrel towards Snowfall, "You have some, you've hardly touched it," she began to smooth down her pelt in short, swift rasps of the tongue. Then, suddenly, as if remembering something, she sat bolt upright, amber eyes suddenly gleaming, "I hope you _did_ get some sleep last night, Snowfall, because it's the Gathering tonight, and all three of us are invited."

Dewclaw suddenly jolted into life, "The Gathering's tonight?" a new found hope glimmered in his dark amber gaze.

An unsettling unease rippled through Snowfall. He was sure he knew exactly why the dark grey tom was so excited about a simple gathering. Still, he managed a smile, "The Gathering? That's great."

_Oh StarClan, I was hoping I'd actually manage to get some sleep tonight._

Ambersky grinned, eyes aglow, "Yup, it's tonight! It seems like only a moment ago it was our first gathering, huh?" her gaze briefly shifted to the rest of the Stone Hollow, as if seeking out a face amongst her clanmates.

Snowfall nodded, gaze lowering to the squirrel. Tentatively, he took a bite from the plump creature, slowly chewing on it as he pondered the thoughts swimming around his mind. _Insomnia, Dewclaw and Redpaw, SkyClan, The Prophecy._

Unlike Ambersky, Snowfall still had a suspicious feeling that all wasn't over. True, they'd fulfilled the prophecy by returning SkyClan to the lake, but it wasn't as simple as that. Would the other clans want a fifth clan beside the lake? Would they actually be accepted as a clan?

All of a sudden, he wasn't so hungry. _Is it really over?_ He wasn't sure.

_Dewclaw_

The day seemed to drag by so slowly. StarClan knew how he could forget tonight was the Gathering. _The Gathering._ He'd been looking forward to it ever since their return to ThunderClan, since their parting with SkyClan, how could he be so forgetful?

ThunderClan were the first to arrive at the Island that night. The sky was dark and lined with clouds that only parted to reveal the glowing light of the moon. The dark grey tom's attention wasn't on that sky tonight though, he was more interested in the other sky; Sky_Clan_. Tonight they would at last be announcing their presence in front of the other four clans. Even the slightest possibility that he might meet Redpaw sent a great shiver of excitement rushing through the ThunderClan tom.

Those seven days spent back amongst ThunderClan once more seemed to have lasted moons. Everyday, the absence of Redpaw had nagged at him constantly, to just see her face again would soothe that, at least for a little while anyway.

The parting fronds and light pawsteps announced the arrival of the next clan. The dark grey tom glanced up, letting his gaze drift to the edge of the clearing, where Mistystar had emerged, followed by her deputy, Grassfur, and then the rest of the gathering party.

The RiverClan leader let her gaze wash over the already gathered cats, giving an acknowledging nod before joining Bramblestar up in the Great Tree. As the RiverClanners began to file in, slipping in amongst the ThunderClan cats, the dark grey warrior shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at the moon briefly. _What's taking them so long? Surely WindClan would at least be here by now, they're hardly ever late._

Dewclaw noticed that a pale brown-and-white RiverClan tom had quickly made his way over to Ambersky, amber eyes bright. When the pale grey-and-white she-cat spotted him, she swallowed, giving a forced smile, "Rapidpaw," she meowed, trying to be friendly.

He drew to a halt before the ThunderClan warrior, beaming brightly, "It's not Rapidpaw any more, you can call me Rapidstream now!" he announced, a rumbling purr resounded from his chest. His gaze picked over the pale grey-and-white she-cat for a moment, "it feel like moons since I last saw you! Is you leg healed now?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly to one side.

Ambersky frowned, "My leg?" she echoed in confusion, glancing down at her legs, "My leg's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

The pale brown-and-white warrior swallowed, ducking his head in embarrassment, "Oh, that's… I mean, I was, uh, told that you'd broken your leg and that Snowpaw and Dewpaw had as well, that's why you hadn't been at the last few gatherings," his amber gaze was restless, his paws shifty.

"We're warriors now," the dark grey tom decided it was time he dropped in on the conversation, "So you can call us by our warrior names now, Rapidstream," he spat the words out. He didn't like this cat, "And who told you we'd broken our legs anyway? How could you fall for something as mouse-brained as that? As if all three of us would break our legs at the same time."

"She told me," he motioned with a flick of his tail towards Lilystream, sat nearby. The dark brown-and-white tabby she-cat noticed the RiverClan warrior and immediately stiffened, giving a rather sheepish smile. Dewclaw glared at her.

There was an icy silence between them for a moment, until Rapidstream spoke up, attempting to change the subject, "So, you're warriors now. What are your names?"

Ambersky took a deep breath, about to respond, when the dark grey warrior cut in, "Dewclaw, Ambersky, Snowfall," he meowed bluntly, not meeting the RiverClan warrior's amber gaze.

The pale brown-and-white tom gave a smile, "Ambersky, that's a beautiful name," he purred, amber eyes clouding briefly before he suddenly sat up, blinking, "I mean, uh, they're all really cool names. Dewclaw as well, sounds like a, uh… a name for a warrior."

_Well yeah, of course it's a name for a warrior, it's a warrior name._

"WindClan have arrived, " the observant mew had come from Snowfall. He'd been so busy concentrating on glaring at Rapidstream that he hadn't noticed the long-furred white tom approach.

Lifting his gaze from the RiverClan warrior, he let it sweep across the clearing until it settled on the emerging WindClan gathering party. Onestar was at the head of the group, followed shortly by his deputy, Sedgewhisker, then a group of senior warriors that Dewclaw recognised from previous gatherings.

Judgmental murmurs rippled amongst the gathered cats, several hostile stares sent WindClan's way. Dewclaw knew that there had been rumours of WindClan stealing RiverClan prey in the darkest moons of leaf-bare, whilst him and his littermates had been journeying, so it wasn't at all surprising really.

The WindClan warriors made a deliberate point of sitting amongst the ThunderClan members, not even casting a glance RiverClan's way. They didn't have to wait much longer for ShadowClan to arrive. Crowstar declared the arrival of the fourth clan with a proud yowl before joining his fellow clan leaders in the Great Tree.

Dewclaw didn't miss the cold stares he received from the ShadowClan leader, Crowstar was still determined not to let go that the dark grey tom had killed his son, even after so many moons.

"Let the gathering begin, whilst the moon is still bright," Mistystar's call sounded above the noise, shooting a brief glance up at the clouded sky, "We've wasted enough time already waiting," that last comment seemed to be directed at WindClan, despite ShadowClan actually being the last to arrive. She certainly wasn't going to let WindClan forget about their actions.

"ShadowClan will report first," Crowstar decided, not waiting to see if any of the other leaders would like to take their turn first, he leapt straight into his report, "Although Leaf-bare still hangs above us, ShadowClan are as strong as ever. Hunting is good, our apprentices are excelling in training and Kinkfur is expecting Starlingwing's kits."

Although the gathering was underway, the dark grey warrior's attention wasn't on the Clan Leaders up in the Great Tree. His gaze remained fixed on the edge of the clearing, awaiting the arrival of the long lost clan, SkyClan. His tail gave an impatient twitch, _StarClan, where are they?_

"Three of our warriors recently chased out an overcurious fox, Dawnpelt, Olivenose and Scorchfur!" Crowstar continued, giving a flick of his black-and-white tail.

"Dawnpelt! Olivenose! Scorchfur!" the cries, rather unenthusiastic on Dewclaw's behalf, echoed around the clearing. The dark grey tom almost was almost too absorbed in his uninterested cheering, that he didn't notice the swaying of fern fronds as a brown-and-cream tabby she-cat emerged from the shadows.

It took a heartbeat or so for the rest of the gathered cats to notice the newcomers and a further moment for them to respond. Silence fell upon the clans for a moment as Leafstar began to pad forward, ignoring the shocked stares, followed by a small group of her warriors. Dewclaw could understand why she'd only brought very few of her clanmates, she didn't want to intimidate the rest of the clans or be seen as a threat. Dewclaw would have done exactly the same thing, had he been in her paws.

Hurriedly, his gaze picked over the few cats the SkyClan leader had brought with her, seeking out a particular pelt. When his eyes were caught by a pair of tufted ears and a tortoiseshell-and-white pelt, he couldn't help but purr, giving the warmest smile. Redpaw was here.

"And who are you?" Crowstar was the first to address the SkyClan leader, spitting distastefully at the brown-and-cream tabby she-cat as he leapt down from his branch in the Great Tree to block her path.

Leafstar didn't reply for a moment, calmly meeting the ShadowClan leader's challenging stare, "My name is Leafstar and this," she motioned with a flick of her brown-and-cream tabby tail to her warriors, "is SkyClan."

Gasps of shock and surprise arose amongst the gathered cats. Many regarded the clan suspiciously, eyeing the brown-and-cream tabby leader and her warriors with hostility in their gazes.

"SkyClan? Never heard of them."

"What do they think they're doing here? There's a truce, don't they know?"

"SkyClan… Aren't they that lost clan or something. I heard the elders talking about them once."

"Silence!" Onestar snapped, silencing the murmurs. He joined Crowstar, but wasn't quite as hostile as the ShadowClan leader, "What are you doing here?"

Leafstar seemed unfazed by the show of suspicion, "Why am I here? It's rather a long story, but I intend to tell it," she meowed simply, holding Onestar's gaze, "If you'll only listen."

"And why should we listen to you?" Crowstar challenged, "Strolling in here like you own the place. Why shouldn't we just drive you away here and now?" there was a flame flickering behind the black-and-white tom's gaze.

"Well, that would be going against StarClan wouldn't it?" she blinked calmly, sitting down and letting her tail curl neatly around her paws.

"Let her speak," Bramblestar's meow rose from the Great Tree. He joined Onestar and Crowstar, Mistystar following him shortly. The gathering of cats were now focused around the arrival of the lost clan.

Dewclaw, who was watching the events unfold, tried to catch Redpaw's gaze, but the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat was too focused on her clan leader.

"SkyClan? I once heard of them. The lost clan," Mistystar mewed thoughtfully, her blue gaze drifting to Bramblestar, "Firestar and Sandstorm were the ones who regrouped them I understand? After they were driven from the forest?"

Dewclaw was surprised the RiverClan leader knew about the fifth clan. Were they really so widely known about?

Leafstar smiled, "Yes," she replied simply, her gaze washed over the gathered cats, "I'd better clear things up, explain everthing."

Intrigued murmurs rippled amongst those gathered. Cats looked on eagerly, curious about what Leafstar had to say.

The brown-and-cream tabby took a deep breath, "You may have heard of SkyClan, the fifth clan. We were always one of the clans, from the first day the clans came about. We lived alongside the other clans in the old forest, peacefully, until the twolegs came. They built on our territory until we had nowhere to go. Our leader at the time pleaded for the other clans to give up a little of their territory so that SkyClan could go on."

At the mention of twolegs destroying SkyClan territory, a few sympathetic murmurs arose from those gathered. Many had also experienced being driven from their home and knew all too well how painful it was.

Leafstar continued, pleased to find that the dissaproving stares and hostile glares had faded away, "But all help was denied by the other clans and we were driven from the forest. The leader then, Cloudstar, led SkyClan to a gorge far from the forest and for a time, life was peaceful. Then the rats came."

A few cats scoffed, "Rats. They're only tiny little things, why would they change anything?"

"Yeah, easy to kill, good prey actually."

Mews of agreement spread amongst the gathered cats. Dewclaw could tell Leafstar was finding it difficult to hold in her frustration at these suggestions. She lashed her tail a little, "Yes, a few rats, no problem. But there were hundreds of these rats, maybe even thousands. Battles were fought over the gorge between SkyClan and the rats but many cats were killed and SkyClan was forced to disband. Some of our warriors became kittypets, others left to become loners and rogues," she paused for a moment, calmly breathing before carrying on, "Then, many seasons later, Firestar and Sandstorm came."

Dewclaw noticed a few wistful smiles from his clanmates at the mention of the fiery-pelted former leader. Although Dewclaw had hardly known the former leader, he still bowed his head a little out of respect, he knew Firestar had been a great cat.

"Firestar had received dreams from SkyClan's Warrior Ancestors, asking him to return the lost clan. He and Sandstorm had to travel rather far to reach the gorge and almost as soon as they arrived, they got to work, recruiting kittypets, rogues and loners to reform the lost clan," her amber gaze clouded for a moment, "We were taught the ways of the warrior code and borders were marked and finally we took the name of the fifth clan, SkyClan. Just before Firestar and Sandstorm left, returning to their responsibilities back in ThunderClan, a leader was chosen from the modern SkyClan. I was that cat," she swallowed, gaze briefly flickering to the moonlit sky, "For the first few moons, life was harsh, but we got through. Seasons passed and SkyClan remained, but then, a season or so ago, twolegs started building on our territory once more. It started off with just a little area, but the twolegs were greedy and quickly they took over most of our territory, leaving us with very little prey to hunt and only a small piece of territory undisturbed."

Dewclaw felt a pang of sympathy for the fifth clan, he knew that SkyClan had to endure many hardships, but he'd never really heard the full story.

"I had lost hope, until Firestar sent me a dream. He told me of a prophecy, that StarClan hadn't abandoned us," Leafstar's meow echoed around the clearing, a hush falling upon the mention of a prophecy. Her gaze turned to Snowfall, Ambersky and Dewclaw, "The prophecy spoke of three cats journeying to return SkyClan to its true place alongside the other clans. Those three cats were Amberpaw, Snowpaw and Dewpaw of ThunderClan."

All eyes fell upon Dewclaw and his littermates. Snowfall shrunk back a little and Ambersky's ears flattened against her head in embarrassment, but Dewclaw sat tall, amber eyes glowing.

"ThunderClan, typical."

"StarClan always favours ThunderClan."

Dewclaw ignored the scornful comments, why should he care anyway?

Leafstar took a deep breath, before resuming her tale, "Amberpaw, Snowpaw and Dewpaw too had received the prophecy. With unwavering loyalty to StarClan's wish, these three cats parted with their clan, setting out upon a long and harsh journey."

Dewclaw couldn't help but let out a rumbling purr, Leafstar was making them sound so heroic. Although there was a little hint of annoyance that she was calling them by their old apprentice names. She wasn't to know though, it wasn't like it had been announced.

"They reached the gorge about a moon ago, a few days later, we set out on our own journey. A journey from our home, to our future, a home alongside the other clans," her eyelids flickered shut briefly as she bowed her head for a moment, "A quarter-moon ago, we finally reached the lake. We found the perfect camp, ideal territory," her gaze drifted to the inky-black sky, "SkyClan have returned. Now, all we seek is your acceptance," she looked to each clan leader expectantly.

There was silence for a heartbeat as the cats gathered tried to take in this sudden rush of information. Those of ThunderClan were already aware of the situation, so sat still, perfectly content.

Mistystar was the first to speak, a brief glance at her clanmates thrown over her shoulder, "As long as the lake can support the addition in numbers and you have found your own territory, I'm sure RiverClan would be willing to accept SkyClan as one of the clans. Provided you keep to the Warrior Code of course," she meowed calmly, giving a small, welcoming smile. A few of her clan looked a little disheartened by their leader's solo decision, but most seemed willing to allow another clan by the lake.

Bramblestar was also in agreement, "ThunderClan have already discussed this and agree with Mistystar. If it is StarClan's wish, who are we to go against it?"

Nods of agreement and support spread amongst the dark brown tabby's clanmates. Dewclaw smiled, the clans seemed willing so far, hopefully WindClan and ShadowClan would reflect Mistystar and Bramblestar's decisions to allow SkyClan to stay.

"I can't quite believe I'm hearing this," Crowstar snorted in disbelief, stepping forward, "Five clans by the lake? The territories can't support so many. How are we to know that this 'SkyClan' are even a true clan and will stick to the code. They could steal our prey and territory for all we know!" he snarled.

ShadowClan seemed a little torn by the whole ordeal, some agreeing with their leader, whilst others looked a little concerned, eying Leafstar and her warriors with less hostility than the rest of their clanmates.

Onestar too seemed alarmed by the suggestion of the fifth clan living beside the lake, "WindClan will not allow this," he declared, glaring at the SkyClan leader, "Five clans? Ridiculous. Some of my warriors had noted the presence of your cats, sniffing around our borders," Dewclaw noticed how he referred to the SkyClan warriors simply as 'cats', not their true titles.

Several of ThunderClan and RiverClan began to voice their opinions, "It's StarClan's wish! Do you want to go against the words of your warrior ancestors?"

"Besides, if they have their own territory and stick to the code, who are we to deny them a home here?"

"Mouse-brains. We must follow StarClan's wish and support SkyClan."

Arguments began to rise, soft meows growing to bitter cries.

"Mouse-brains? Who are you calling mouse-brains? You're the only mouse-brains here."

"How do we know they'll stick to the code anyway?"  
"SkyClan were driven from the old forest for a reason, there were never meant to be five clans! SkyClan doesn't belong here!"

The dark grey tom took a step back, watching in horror as the scene unfolded. His claws slid out, glinting silver in the moonlight, "There were always meant to be five clans!" he snarled, a fire burning behind his amber gaze. He and his littermates hadn't risked their lives on a treacherous journey for nothing. SkyClan belonged by the lake, he wouldn't let them be driven out.

It was then that first cat attacked, a cream-and-grey pelted ShadowClan tom that Dewclaw didn't quite recognise. He lunged for a light brown tabby RiverClan warrior, Mallownose. Battle cries began to rise above the noise, piercing the night, staining the sacred truce.

The fight began to spread amongst the gathered cats, clans turning against each other. Beside him, a high-pitched feeble cry sounded from Snowfall, "The moon! The moon! This is a truce!"  
Dewclaw's dark amber gaze flickered to the sky. Where was the moon anyway? Then he realised, his heart faltering. The clouds had completely smothered the moon from sight, StarClan were angry.

"StarClan are upset!" Snowfall continued to yowl, concern pooling in his amber gaze, "Stop! Fighting won't solve anything!"

Dewclaw looked to Bramblestar, only find that he was tussling with the WindClan warrior, Crowfeather. Squirrelflight had just leapt into battle as well, knocking down a ShadowClan warrior.

It was just as his gaze flickered back to Snowfall, that he saw the dark tabby tom hurtling for him. Dewclaw's pelt bristled with fury, amber gaze darkening as the two cats met, claws flying, insults hurled.

"SkyClan _belong_ here!" he roared, landing a blow on the WindClan tom's shoulder. His opponent flinched, stumbling backwards for a moment before charging straight at Dewclaw once more.

"Oh no they don't," the tom hissed, swiping at Dewclaw's face, droplets of blood blurring the dark grey tom's vision, "The lake is only big enough for four clans. SkyClan don't belong here, and they _never_ will."

* * *

**Well, what did you think? Sorry it's so long. ^^' I love hearing what you think, if you'd take a minute or so just to drop me a review, you'd make my day. :3 I always reply personally to every review. Oh, also, I'm going to start author Q&A! When you leave a review, you can leave a Q&A question! it can be something like, where did you get the inspiration for Blue Moon for or something like that. :3 At the beginning I'll answer one Q&A question, that I'll chose from your reviews. So ask away! Let me know what you think!**

**Love Leafy x ;)**


	3. Chapter Two

**-yawn- I am so tired and I have literally nothing to say here... We finally got wifi back, so here's the update! I'm not really that keen on this chapter and I rushed proof-reading it so apologies in advance for any mistakes. If you spot any, just let me know so that I can correct them. :3**

**... Only one of you did the Q&A thingy, so I only have one to chose from... Hmmm... Which one shall it be? xD**

**Q&A**

**Q: "What made you decide to have Ambersky, Dewclaw, and Snowfall have former lives as Skyclan cats?"**

**A: Well, originally it was never going to happen at all! It kind of just happened as I was writing. xD I wanted Ambersky, Dewclaw and Snowfall to have some kind of tie to SkyClan, not just the prophecy. Something that bound them to the fifth clan and made them feel almost like they were a part of SkyClan, spiritually. I don't know whether I mentioned to you guys, but I'm actually at some point going to be writing sort of a super edition based on Ambersky's former life as Amberstar and it will be featuring Snowfall and Dewclaw in their previous forms! It's basically going to be about how Amberstar attempted to bring together SkyClan again. :3**

**Disclaimer - I am not Erin Hunter, therefore I cannot and do not claim to own Warriors, however much I wish I could.**

**~ .:Review Replies:. ~**

**Orangeflight ~ Thank you! Sorry for a bit of a wait, having no wifi sucks! :/**

**arcticfoxlover ~ Thank you! :3 I guess we'll never really understand Onestar... I'm not sure I even understood him when I wrote his response to SkyClan's arrival last chapter. ^^**

**Numbuh 227 ~ We'll just have to wait and see... -mysterious music plays- xD Thank you! :)**

**Willowdream of ForestClan ~ Yeah, it was kinda long. This one's about 100 words shorter. xD Thanks!**

**Spottedmoth123 ~ Aw, thank you! -huggles- I shall be turning 14! Only a week to go now! Can't wait. :3**

**Foreverwifeh ~ :O Foreverwifeh! :D :D :D Thank you so much for reviewing, you're so sweet! Although I don't quite understand why you'd like to write like me when you're such a fabulous author already! You have the most beautiful, flowing style of writing which I just adore. 3**

**Brackenflame ~ Thank you! :3 Yus, we have some RedxDew action in this chappie. I originally intended on there being more, but my brain sort of gave up on me. :/ Yus, cliffhangers so always seem to help! They certainly encourage people to review! xP**

**koilered ~ Aw, thank you! ^^ I always look forward to reading your reviews. :3**

**I forgot ~ Aha, thank you! :D That's a lot of capital letters! :P**

**Silkbreeze-Of-ThunderClan ~ Thank you so so much! Can I say I just adore your name. Silkbreeze... It had a lovely flow to it. :3 **

**Cupcake ~ xD That review just made me laugh so hard. The thought of many people named Billy flying around in a storm... xDDD**

**Copycat ~ Thank you! Here you go!**

**Sorry guys, it's another long one! Although, it's 100 words shorter than the last chapter. xD Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Dewclaw_

_"SkyClan don't belong here and they _never_ will!"_

The words echoed in the dark-furred tom's mind for a moment. Was the dark tabby right? Did SkyClan truly belong beside the lake? He quickly shook away the thought, wondering why he had even questioned SkyClan's belonging in the first place. _Of course SkyClan belong beside the lake!_

A growl rose in his throat as Dewclaw retaliated from his opponent's attack, tackling the WindClan warrior to the ground, his paws pressed against the tom's throat. His opponent gasped, flailing as the need for air overcame him. Dewclaw was about to sink his in his claws when suddenly a loud yowl cut through through the battle cries, "Stop! There is no need to fight!" it was the voice of Mistystar, now standing on one of the tallest branches of the great tree, her tone was desperate, "Have you all forgotten that you are _warriors_? There is a truce, a truce that has been broken!" a sharp flick of her tail motioned to the sky, "StarClan are angry. Stop, the gathering is over."

The battle cries died down amongst the gathered cats. Dewclaw pulled away from his opponent, who immediately inhaled a great breath, panting heavily for a moment before scampering back to his clanmates.

Slowly, the three clan leaders untangled themselves from the gathered warriors, joining Mistystar in the branches of the tree. Leafstar, Dewclaw noticed, had managed to detatch herself from the violence and her and clan were now clustered together at the edge of the clearing.

Bramblestar, who's pelt seemed a little ruffled, took a deep breath before speaking, "Mistystar is right. The gathering is no place for fighting, StarClan have made that clear," his gaze briefly flickered up to the clouded night sky, "ThunderClan will leave now, before this goes any further."

The ThunderClan leader leapt from the tree, landing gracefully amongst his clanmates. With a flick of his tail, he beckoned for his clan to follow as he began to cross the clearing. The ThunderClan gathering party exchanged several glances, before rising and following their leader.

Dewclaw reluctantly rose to his paws, ThunderClan beginning to file out of the clearing. He'd been so looking forward to tonight's gathering and it had all ended so quickly. He hadn't gotten to exchange so much as one word with Redpaw.

He was just about to follow the rest of his clan out of the clearing when suddenly a tortoiseshell-and-white pelt caught his eyes. He stopped; Redpaw was racing towards him, green eyes wide with alarm, "Dewpaw, wait!" she gasped, skidding to halt before him.

Bramblestar seemed to notice the interactions between the two young cats and he frowned for a moment, then remembering that Redpaw was one of the cats Dewclaw had travelled with, then relaxed. He knew all too well how difficult it was to maintain friendships with cats from other clans, he'd experienced it firsthand with his own journey to the Sundrownplace. So he gave Dewclaw a friendly nod before slipping into the shadows of the undergrowth. Dewclaw took that as meaning he was allowed to stay back for a moment or so.

"I've missed you so much!" Redpaw burst out, green eyes bright with complete and utter joy, "Leafstar gave me and Whitepaw our warrior names! I'm Redflower now!"

Dewclaw couldn't help but purr, smiling warmly at the younger cat, "Redflower," he tested the name on his tongue, "Leafstar couldn't have picked a better name," he straightened up a little, suddenly conscious about his ruffled pelt and the crimson scars that now marked his pelt from the brief battle, moments before, "Bramblestar gave us our warrior names too. You have to call me Dewclaw now."

"That's an awesome name!" she grinned happily, "I wish I could've been the first one to call you by your new name," her smile faded a little, the light in her green eyes withering. Then, suddenly, as if remembering something, her eyes brightened, "Oh, I had an idea!" suddenly realising her meow had been rather loud, she shot a brief, wary glance over her shoulder, lowering her voice, "I have so much to tell you, so I thought," she swallowed, grinning, "I thought we could meet sometime."

Alarm flared in Dewclaw's gaze, "What do you mean, 'meet'? Isn't that going against the warrior code," as much as the idea of seeing Redflower once more and finally being able to talk properly delighted the dark grey tom, the thought of breaking the warrior code unsettled him.

Redflower looked a little dissapointed by his response, but she quickly brushed it off, "What if we were just meeting to talk, that's not going against the warrior code. There's no law against to talking to a cat from another clan," she pointed out.

Dewclaw held her bright gaze for a moment, uncertainty flickering in his own eyes, then he gave a small smile, "I suppose. I mean, I'd love to meet you, Redflower, but where? Our clans don't share borders."

The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior motioned around them with a tip of her head, "Here, the gathering island. So long as we stay close to the lake, we can get here without having to worry about any of the other clans."

Dewclaw still wasn't quite convinced. He searched Redflower's bright green eyes for a moment, seeking reassurance in her gaze. _But what if we _are _breaking the warrior code? What if we're found out?_ The words of Frecklewish still echoed around his mind, _"You've got to let her go." _

He studied the SkyClan warrior for a moment, concern pooling in his gaze. Redflower smiled warmly, "We could only meet once if you like? No one would ever find out," she assured him, touching her tail-tip to his shoulder.

Dewclaw gave a small sigh, heaving a little sigh, "Okay then, fine, just once though."

Redflower gave the brightest grin, flashing a set of white fangs, "Great! I'll see you tomorrow then, moon-high, at the gathering island."

Dewclaw returned the smile, "I guess I'll see you then."

"Dewclaw! Are you coming or not?" Snowfall's impatient mew sounded from ahead of him. The white tom was watching them with growing unease, concern creeping into his pale amber gaze.

The dark grey tom flashed Redflower a smile, "Looks like I've got to go," he purred. Aware of the many cats around them, he simply touched his tail to her flank, before getting to his paws, "I'll see you tomorrow then!" he began to race over to the rest of the ThunderClan patrol.

He almost didn't catch Redflower's soft call as he fell in beside Ambersky and his brother, "May StarClan light your path!"

* * *

_Ambersky_

After the events of the previous night's gathering, there was a sort of tension amongst ThunderClan. Many cats were fearful about what WindClan and ShadowClan's dissaproval of the fifth clan's return might mean. There were rumours spreading that there could be a possible allegiance between the two clans, others spoke of a war between all the clans. Ambersky didn't like the sound of either options. Why couldn't the clans just live in peace? Was there something so wrong with living in peace? She just didn't understand it.

Feeling a little disheartened by the rejection of SkyClan, Ambersky's mood was dampened even further when she emerged from the Warriors' Den that morning into the cloudy light of day. Her gaze immediately traced the hollow, picking out individuals and their activity.

Lionblaze had finished organising patrols and had just joined two of his kits, Honeypaw and Stormpaw. The three cats were having a playful conversation just below the Highledge, their voices carrying across the hollow.

"You two were wonderful in yesterday's training session, you're both turning into fine little warriors," Lionblaze's rumbling purr echoed around the stone hollow as he gave both apprentices a tender lick to the forehead.

Honeypaw gave a shy smile, but her green eyes were glowing with pride as she mewed a soft, "Thank you."

Stormpaw's reaction was a lot more reserved, but that was just the way he was. He ducked his head in embarrassment, shrinking backwards a little, no words slipping from his jaws. The little tom was a rather quiet thing, Ambersky had observed, only speaking when he had words to say, which wasn't too often.

The pale grey-and-white warrior gave a fond smile, her gaze flickering away from the father and his kits. Her amber gaze briefly lingered on where Greystripe lay sprawled out next to Millie, attempting to soak up the little warmth that the sun was giving off.

By the Medicine Cat's Den, Dewclaw had just dissapeared inside, presumably to have his wounds from the gathering checked on. Leafpool was accompanying him, whilst Jayfeather was in checking over Lakekit, who seemed to have gotten a thorn in her paw, watched over by her fretful mother, Cherryflower.

But it was a brown-and-cream pelt that really caught her attention. There he was. Molespots. Her heart faltered a little when she realised who he was with. Lilystream.

The two warriors lay side by side, their pelts pressing together as they shared tongues, affection lighting their gazes. For a moment the young warrior felt a little weak, _N-no._

Swallowing nervously, the pale grey-and-white she-cat blinked and tentatively stepped forwards from the shadows of the Warriors' Den entrance. The two cats hadn't noticed her from their location on the opposite end of the hollow, they were too engrossed in their actions anyway to spot her.

Surely Lilystream and Molespots weren't mates? Ambersky shuddered at the thought, surprising herself by the sudden pang of a powerful emotion she felt stirring deep within her. Was it.. jealousy? She shook her head.

No, she wasn't jealous of Lilystream, of course she wasn't, she couldn't be. Frowning, she decided to try and distract herself, crossing over to the Fresh-kill pile and choosing a small sparrow.

She settled herself in the shade of the nursery, her gaze remaining transfixed on Molespots and Lilystream. She felt a mumur of despair kindling within her as she watched the two interacting with each other, their eyes warm.

Ambersky was alarmed to find that she'd unsheathed her claws, sub-consciously, and sunk them deep into the earthy ground. She took a deep breath, retracting her claws from the earth and leaning down to take a cautious bite from her sparrow.

She chewed blankly, finding very little flavour within the small bird. After swallowing, she reluctantly took another bite, her gaze no longer focused on Lilystream and Molespots, but her ears angled in their direction, trying to pick up their conversation.

It was as she began to pick over the final remains of the sparrow that she felt something small and sharp, like thorns, sinking into her tail. Instantly, her fur began to stand on end and she wheeled round, only to find herself faced with a small ginger she-kit with the brightest of pelts and intense green eyes. Ambersky relaxed.

It was none other than Flamekit, daughter of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. The ginger she-kit gave a small innocent smile, mischief flaring in her green gaze, "You're a warrior, aren't you?" there was very little respect in her tone, it was just a blunt, straight-to-the-point question. She wondered what the little she-kit was getting at.

"Yes, my name's Ambersky, I'm a warrior," there was a questioning tone to her voice as she studied the kit. Her gaze briefly flickered to the nursery, "You must be Flamekit. Where is your littermates and your mother?"

Flamekit continued to stare up at the pale grey-and-white warrior intently, ignoring Ambersky's question, "Will you teach me the Hunter's Crouch? After all, I am being made an apprentice in 3 and ¾ moons, so I need to be prepared," there was very matter-of-fact tone to Flamekit's words. Her question came across as more of an order, she seemed like the sort of cat who got what she wanted.

"Flamekit! What are you up to, bothering Ambersky?" Squirrelflight was hurriedly making her way over to her daughter, followed by two bouncing balls of fur; a large pale grey tom-kit, flecked with darker grey mottles and green eyes, trailed shortly by a fluffy-pelted dark brown-and-white tabby tom with wide amber eyes.

When the nursing deputy reached her daughter, she made no haste in ushering the bright ginger she-kit away from the young warrior, "I'm so sorry, Ambersky," she apologised, "These three are such a handful and Flamekit's so independent, always wandering off."  
Ambersky quickly brushed it off, "Oh, she wasn't causing any bother at all," she assured the dark ginger she-cat, "She was just asking me about the Hunter's Crouch," she crouched down so she was at eye level with Flamekit, "If you like, I can teach you _and_ your brothers the Hunter's Crouch," she offered.

Squirrelflight looked a little doubtful, whilst all three kits nodded eagerly, "Are you sure? They can be a real pain in the tail."

"Why don't you let me take them off your paws for a little while then?"

Squirrelflight hesitated for a moment, before giving a grateful nod, "That would be much appreciated Ambersky," she dipped her head to the young warrior, thankfullness dancing in her green gaze.

"It's no problem," the pale grey-and-white she-cat reassured her.

Squirrelflight smiled, her gaze resting on her three kits for a moment, "Thank you and behave yourself you three, don't you go causing Ambersky any trouble," she moved a little way away, choosing to sit beside Daisy. Ambersky pressumed she wanted to be near, just in case the three kits started causing any problems, so she could leap in.

Ambersky turned to the three kits, whom were now gazing up at her with eyes like owlets, "Right, why don't you show me your Hunter's Crouches first," she meowed warmly.

The three kits skuffled about for a few heartbeats, fidgeting into their best attempt at the Hunter's Crouch. Ambersky had to admit, they weren't all too bad. She focused first on Finchkit.

The dark brown-and-white tabby tom had his belly pressed against the ground, his tail sticking up like a bluebell, but his weight was evenly balanced across all four legs. Ambersky gave an encouraging nod, "You're very well balanced, Finchkit," she touched her tail lightly to his shoulder, "Just lower your tail a little, but don't let it drag along the ground."

The dark brown-and-white tabby tom quickly corrected himself, "Is this alright?" he asked.

Ambersky ran her eyes over him once more, "Much better, good job."

"Bramblestar says I'm going to be an excellent hunter," Flamekit's arrogant mew tore the pale grey-and-white she-cat's attention to her, "He says I'm a natural-born warrior."

Ambersky chuckled, "Well, you do have a strong Hunter's Crouch," she let her amber gaze pick over the young ginger she-kit, "Your paws are a little too close together though. If you place them further apart, you'll find it's easier to carry your weight without toppling over and scaring you prey," she purred.

Flamekit looked a little ruffled at the criticism, but all the same, she shuffled her paws further apart, finding, a little to her annoyance, Ambersky's words to be true. The pale grey-and-white she-cat did have to admit though, the Hunter's Crouch did seem to come rather easily to Flamekit, but it had also to Finchkit and after examining Nettlekit, she decided he had a rather good Hunter's Crouch already, apart from that his tail kept dragging along the ground. It was hardly surprising, seeing who their parents were. They must have been practising a lot already though.

"Has someone already taught you the Hunter's Crouch? Only, you seem to have almost mastered it already," she enquired, amber gaze warm as she studied the three young cats.

Flamekit pulled a shocked expression, "What? Of course not, we're just naturally gifted. Bramblestar might as well make us warriors already," she sat up a little taller, shifting her hind quarters and scoffing.

Finchkit rolled his eyes, "Don't listen to her, she's just an arrogant ball of fluff. Pebblepaw's been teaching us, he's Bramblestar's apprentice! He's going to be an amazing warrior!" it was clear that the dark brown-and-white tabby tom thought very highly of the golden tabby apprentice, "He brought a squirrel for us yesterday, that he caught!"

It was pleasing to hear that Pebblepaw was doing so well in his training, and that he'd already won respect from his younger clanmates, "Oh really?" she held the young tom's wide-eyed gaze, "Well, I'm sure that will be you three when you're apprentices. You'll certainly have no problem with your Hunter's Crouches, it'll just be finding the prey that might be the problem," she purred, amusement lighting her gaze.

Flamekit studied the young warrior with wide green eyes, "Can't you take us out into the forest? Then we can practise that too, we simply _can't_ be falling behind when we become apprentices."  
"I think we'd best save that for another day," Ambersky hadn't noticed that Squirrelflight had reapproached them, "You three will wear Ambersky out."

"Oh really, I'm fine," the pale grey-and-white she-cat insisted, holding the dark ginger she-cat's gaze, "Their Hunter's Crouches are really coming along, you'll be pleased to hear," she mewed softly.

Squirrelflight began to usher her three kits towards the Nursery, "In you go, you three. Bramblestar will be bringing some prey for us soon, why don't you play moss-ball whilst you wait?" she suggested to the three young kits. Their eyes immediately lit up and they raced into the den, their delighted squeals echoing throughout the hollow. Squirrelflight returned her attention to Ambersky, "Thank you," she leaned a little closer before adding, "You'll be a wonderful mother, you know, one day."

Ambersky gave a shy smile, then her gaze flicked back across the hollow. Lilystream and Molespots were no longer sharing tongues. Her shoulders dropped. _Where'd they go?_

Squirrelflight seemed to have noticed Ambersky's wistful gazing at Molespots earlier and she suddenly stopped. Thoughtfullness flickered behind her green gaze, "You know why Lilystream and Molespots are so close?"

The ThunderClan warrior was caught off guard by the question, "Uh, n-no. Why?" confusion clouded her bright amber gaze.

"They're cousins, you know?" she meowed simply, before padding off after her kits.

Ambersky stood there in shock for a moment, "They're cousins?" she echoed, quite unable to believe the words. _Cousins… _Of course! That explained everything! Why they were so often together, Ambersky couldn't quite believe she'd never noticed it before. The new knowledge quickly eased the pangs she'd felt within her heart at the sight of the two cats so close and she let a purr out. _Cousins... They're cousins…_

And all of a sudden, she felt a hope rising within her, warm and bright like the sun.

* * *

_Snowfall_

"Hey Snowfall!"

After an exhausting night at the gathering, Snowfall had actually been able to gather a surprising amount of sleep that night. He hadn't long awoken when the cheerful mew of Seedflight was sent his direction. The pale ginger warrior was making her way over to the snowy-furred tom, who had just finished grooming himself, followed by her apprentice, Honeypaw. Her green eyes glowed with warmth and excitement and she bore a friendly smile.

Snowfall immediately purred, rising to his paws to greet the pretty she-cat, "Seedflight!" he meowed a bright welcome, nuzzling her cheek softly.

"I'm just about to take Honeypaw out training," the pale ginger warrior told him, returning the greeting with a light touch of her muzzle to his own, "I was wondering whether you'd like to come with us? It'd be great to have a little help."

The white-furred tom's eyes immediately lit up and his heart gave a tiny flutter, "O-Of course," he stammered slightly, a grin creeping to his face, "I'd love to."

Seedflight smiled brightly, nodding to the golden brown tabby apprentice, "Great! Have you eaten, Honeypaw?"

The young apprentice shook her head, "No, I was going to eat when we got back from training," she mewed softly, "I'm not that hungry right now, and there are cats that need it more than me."

The white warrior couldn't help but admire the young she-cat's selflessness. ThunderClan needed more cats like Honeypaw. He shot the golden brown tabby a warm smile.

Seedflight nodded, "Right, should we get going then?" her gaze drifted from Honeypaw to the long-furred warrior. Both gave a nod. The young pale ginger she-cat let out a rumbling purr, "Well, let's not waste any more daylight!" at a steady pace, she began to pad towards the Thorn Barrier.

For a moment, Snowfall found himself frozen to the spot, excitement building up within him, he was going to spend time with Seedflight! _You're such a mouse-brain! You're getting over-excited. You're just helping her with training Honeypaw, that's all,_ a tiny voice arose from inside him. He swallowed, slowly rising to his paws and following the light ginger she-cat.

Ducking under the Thorn Barrier, the three cats emerged into the forest, tiny and insignificant in comparison to the great twisted oaks that stretched up towards the sky. The white tom turned to Seedflight, "So, what were you planning on doing today?" he enquired, curiousity in his pale amber gaze. He privately hoped it wasn't to be battle training, that certainly wasn't one of his strong points.

Seedflight smiled, warmth dancing in her vibrant green gaze, "Tree climbing," she meowed brightly. Her gaze flickered to the path ahead, "You haven't done any tree climbing before, Honeypaw?" she studied the young apprentice for a heartbeat, gaze warm.

"No, but…" she hesitated, uncertainty sparking in her green gaze, "Isn't it a bit… dangerous?"

Seedflight crouched down so she was at the same level as her apprentice, touching her tail comfortingly to Honeypaw's shoulder, "A little. I know, I was a little worried when my mentor first told me _I _was doing tree climbing," she sat up, her gaze remaining focused on Honeypaw, "But it's much easier than it sounds. So long as you stay focused, you'll be absolutely fine."

The golden brown tabby apprentice relaxed a little, "Oh, good."

Seedflight's gaze was fixed on the trees ahead, "Now, just to find the right tree to climb."

* * *

It didn't take too long to find suitable trees for climbing. They chose a spot down by the lake, where the ground was layered with soft moss and the trees were young, with low branches. As today was Honeypaw's first time climbing trees, Seedflight wanted to start out simple. If the young apprentice proved to be skilled at the assigned task, they would move onto more challenging climbs. For now, though, she would be climbing these trees.

Seedflight had just demonstrated the scaling of one of the higher trees, Snowfall giving Honeypaw some helpful tips along the way. Now it was time for the young apprentice to try it for herself.

Tree climbing was mostly a thing of instinct, Snowfall was sure the golden brown tabby apprentice would grasp it quickly. It was more getting over the fear of climbing that presented a challenge.

"When you're ready, remember to take your time," Seedflight pressed gently, nudging the young she-cat towards the base of their selected tree, a sturdy young beech tree. Honeypaw faced her challenge with wide green eyes, taking deep, shaky breaths. She was nervous and she had every right to be.

Snowfall had been just as afraid when he'd first been presented with the task of climbing a tree, but now he did it easily. He actually enjoyed it now, it was one of his favourite pastimes, other than hunting. He felt a pang of sympathy for the younger she-cat.

She reminded the snowy-pelted tom a little of his brother actually. He'd never been an avid tree climber due to his fear of heights, though he tended not to talk about it. He didn't want to let anyone know that the supposedly 'fearless' Dewclaw was afraid of heights.

Tail curling around his paws, Snowfall watched as Honeypaw took another tentative step forwards. Seedflight stood beside her apprentice, ready with words of encouragement, "It's all in your head, you'll be absolutely fine, I know you will," she murmured softly.

Honeypaw gave a shy smile, her eyes briefly fluttering shut. She stood totally still for a moment, inhaling and exhaling. Then, just like that, she was off. The long-limbed apprentice sprung forwards, leaping up the tree. She sunk her claws into the thick bark and slowly, but steadily, she began to climb higher, springing from the branches. Honeypaw had quickly gotten over her fear and let her instict take over.

Several of her leaps were a bit messy and she didn't radiate confidence, but all the same, she had made an admirable ascent. When she at last stopped, she wore the widest smile, happiness pooling in her soft green gaze, "I-I did it!" she burst out, quite unable to believe her achievement.

"See, I knew you could do it! Well done, Honeypaw!" Seedflight called up warmly, pride for her apprentice dancing in her eyes, "Now, when you get down, you can have a go at a slightly more difficult tree if you like! That was very well done!"

Snowfall joined in with the congratulations, "Good job, Honeypaw. That was far better than my first attempt at climbing!"

But Honeypaw's face suddenly fell. It took a moment for the white-pelted tom to realise it had been Seedflight's mention of actually getting _down_ the tree that must have been cause for her sudden change of mood. Her eyes widened, fear kindling in their deep green depths as she took a step back, "Getting down?" she echoed, her voice shrinking to a fearful whimper.

Seedflight and Snowfall exchanged nervous glances. The pale ginger warrior softly called up to her apprentice, "Don't panic, Honeypaw. You'll be absolutely fine. Just watch where you're putting your paws, keep your weight distributed evenly, and you'll be fine."

The golden brown tabby apprentice took a deep, gusty breath and released it. Putting on a brave face, her gaze drifted to the branch below. Steadying herself, Honeypaw edged forwards. It was then that Snowfall began to hear it.

Honeypaw hadn't chosen one of the more sturdy branches to pause on, a rather young one in fact. The white tom had thought she'd be fine, after all, she would only be standing on it for a few moments, it should support her. But the moanings and creaks of the tree seemed to disagree with that.

It wasn't the tallest of trees, but a fall from it would still be painful and could quite easily break a bone. Snowfall didn't want to risk anything.

Instincitively, the white tom lurched to his paws, racing to the foot of the tree. Honeypaw let out a whimper, ears flattening against her head, fear pooling in her gaze. The branch was beginning to snap.

Snowfall turned his head to Seedflight, his ears angled towards Honeypaw, "I'll get her," he told her hurriedly and before she could object, he began to scale the tree.

He made quick work of the young beech and soon reached the height of Honeypaw's branch. The golden brown tabby apprentice was rooted to the spot in fear, unable to move her paws.

Thinking quickly, Snowfall crept out across the branch above, which was a little thicker. When he was directly above the golden brown tabby she-cat, he sunk his claws into the wood, dropping into crouch. Leaning down, he reached for the young apprentice.

It was as the branch gave an almighty creak, that Snowfall caught Honeypaw, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. Gently, the young warrior lowered the apprentice onto his branch as the branch Honeypaw had been standing on just moments before fell to the ground in pieces.

The golden brown tabby apprentice stared wide-eyed at the remains of the branch, crumpled on the floor. The branch swayed beneath the weight of both of them.

Not taking any chances, Snowfall nimbly leapt to an opposite branch, his gaze flickering down to Seedflight. The pale ginger she-cat was gazing up, the anxiety in her gaze starting to melt as the white tom beckoned to Honeypaw, "Come on, don't think about it too much. If you can climb a tree, you should find getting down easy," he reassured her, although it wasn't entirely true. In his experience, he'd always found the descent more difficult, but he wasn't going to tell Honeypaw that.

The young apprentice didn't look convinced, staying absolutely still. Snowfall gave a little sigh, "Look, don't worry about it. Just follow my lead, put your paws where I put mine."

He stepped down onto the next branch, shooting a glance over his shoulder briefly. Honeypaw gave a little nod, finally uprooting her paws and taking a cautious step towards the trunk of the tree. Snowfall gave a little smile and leapt down onto the next branch, a thick sturdy one.

Following the white warrior's lead, Honeypaw picked her way down through the branches of the young beech. With each step, her confidence grew a little and the panic in her green gaze began to fade. By the time they reached the base of the beech tree, the apprentice at last seemed sure of herself. Her pelt was a little ruffled, but all the same, she seemed a little more settled.

Seedflight was quick to check over her apprentice, examining her for any injuries, "That was a great climb, a little shame about the descent, but that's completly understandable, it was your first time," she ran her green gaze over the golden brown tabby apprentice one last time, "You're not sore in any places? Grazed? Any cuts?"

The small she-cat shook her head vigourously, giving a shy smile, "I'm fine," she murmured softly, "Thank you, though."

Seedflight turned her gaze to Snowfall, "Well done, you'll be a great mentor someday, you know?" she stepped closer, their gazes briefly meeting, "You're not hurt though, either, are you?" she let her gaze wash over him for a heartbeat or so. And in that moment, Snowfall just let himself explore the depths of her eyes, the colour of a forest in the height of Green-leaf, before he at last responded.

Snowfall chuckled, "I'm fine," he purred, "No need to worry about me," he tipped his head towards the apprentice, "Honeypaw made a brilliant ascent though, I must say."

Honeypaw ducked her head in embarrassment, brushing off the compliment, "I messed up though. I was a mouse-brain. I should've moved when the branch was creaking, Snowfall shouldn't have had to save me. I should've saved myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, Honeypaw," Seedflight touched her tail to her apprentice lightly, "It was all just unlucky, don't think lowly of yourself."

Honeypaw glanced up from her paws, hope kindling in her soft green eyes, "Can I try it again? I'm sure I could do better this time," her gaze was pleading.

"I think that's enough excitement for one day," Seedflight meowed gently, "But if you like, we can do a little hunting before we return to camp?" she offered.

The golden brown tabby immediately beamed, her eyes lighting up, "Hunting? Definitely!"

The light ginger she-cat purred softly, her gaze slowly trickling to the long-furred white warrior, "Snowfall, would you like to join us?" she asked, gaze light with warmth, "I mean, it's fine if you have any duties to attend to"-

Snowfall cut in, "I'd love to," was his soft reply and for a moment their eyes met. Though this was, after all, a training session, there were unsaid words that whispered in one another's gazes and for once, Snowfall wasn't afraid of these words unspoken. They sent the warmest of hopes rippling through him, like the sun's gentle warmth, and the white tom embraced them.

Ambersky was right, he needed to make time for Seedflight, he'd come to admit that. He didn't want to miss even the smallest moments within her company, even if it was, like today, helping with training her apprentice. Later, when they'd returned to camp, he'd ask her maybe if they could go on a walk together or something, even if it was just a short one. He'd grown to realise that these feelings that bubbled up inside of him for her were more than just a respect and like for the she-cat. Was it love? Snowfall for one didn't know. Did he want it to be love? He wasn't sure either.

For now, anyway, he'd just enjoy the time he had with her. Even if it was training with her apprentice, it didn't matter. He was spending time with Seedflight and that was all he really cared about.

* * *

_Dewclaw_

That night couldn't come quick enough for Dewclaw. Though he had shown reluctance when Redflower had first proposed they meet, it had quickly been shed and replaced by nervous apprehension. Nervous, at being found out he was to meet a cat for another clan, and then desperately excited at seeing the tortoiseshell-and-white SkyClan she-cat once more. Was he breaking the warrior code? Redflower assured him they weren't really, there was nothing wrong with being friends with a cat from another clan, was there?

The dark grey tom shook the thoughts away. He would leave for the Gathering Island any moment now, just once he was sure all his clanmates were asleep. He lay crouched in his mossy nest in the shelter and warmth of the Warriors' Den, but he was far from asleep. Snowfall, on the other paw, seemed to be sleeping well, which the dark grey tom found a little unusual, considering his insomnia. Although, then again, Snowfall was very good at pretending to sleep when his insomnia prevented him from doing so, he could quite easily be as wide awake as Dewclaw was.

Ambersky, however, was definitely asleep. She lay in her nest, which seemed to move an inch closer to Molespots' nest every night, her paws flayed out, letting out those little drowsy snores that Berrynose and himself, amongst others, often complained about. They didn't seem to be bothering anyone tonight though, for everyone in the den seemed sound asleep.

Dewclaw let his gaze rasp over his sleeping denmates just one last time before gingerly rising to his paws. Apart from the gentle rising and falling of pelts, his was the only movement in the den as he cautiously picked his way across the den.

Stepping into the bitter chill of the night was a stark contrast from the reassuring warmth of the Warriors' Den and the dark grey tom instantly winced. He knew New-leaf was on the way, but ugh! Why did it have to be so cold? _Redflower, Redflower_. He let the thoughts of the pretty tortoiseshell-and-white warrior wash over him for a moment, finding strength in the images of her that flashed through his mind.

He released a breath, watching as it billowed into the cool night air, slowly drifting, fading. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he raised his head to the sky. The moon wasn't visible that night, the clouds smothered it, but the blinking of stars gave Dewclaw a sort of sense of reassurance.

With steps light as clouds, the dark grey tom crossed the clearing, his gaze set on the dirt-place tunnel. He didn't dare exit camp via the Thorn Barrier, Whitewing and Blossomfall were sitting guard tonight, he didn't want to arouse suspicion.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste at the great reek that the dirt-place gave off, Dewclaw quickly ducked into the dirt-place tunnel and as swiftly as his paws would carried him, slipped into the forest. At last able to breathe clearly, the dark grey tom inhaled and exhaled, then began on his little journey.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time to reach the WindClan border. The whole way, the dark grey warrior had been glancing behind him, taking little detours to lose any followers he might have gained. He was positive that he was alone, but he couldn't be too sure.

He crossed the stream with ease and let his paws carry him on his way, forever shooting nervous glances over at WindClan territory. It wasn't the fear of having to face a WindClan patrol that troubled him, more the fear of being caught by WindClan and then having to explain to Bramblestar why exactly he'd been out at moon-high on WindClan territory.

Luckily for him, there seemed to be no activity from WindClan. All the same, he was glad when he reached RiverClan territory and the Gathering Island came into close view. Though RiverClan was as much an enemy clan as WindClan was, Dewclaw didn't hate them quite as much as he did the other clans, SkyClan excluded. They had accepted the arrival of the lost clan with grace and the dark grey tom held respect for them for that.

It came as a surprise to the dark grey warrior when he found he'd reached the Tree-bridge. _I'm already here?_ He'd gotten there far quicker than expected, it usually took far longer when he travelled with the gathering party on the way to a gathering. Then again, they often had to wait for less able clanmates, such as elders, when they were travelling to the gathering.

Would Redflower even be here yet?

Carrying himself low, as not to be spotted by any late night hunters from any of the clans, Dewclaw didn't hesitate to cross the bridge and landed lightly on the pebbled shore of the Gathering Island. The tiny stones and pebbles shifted beneath him, crunching as he crossed them to reach the cover of trees. It was a great relief to wear the shadows on his back, he felt a lot more secure now that he was out of sight from any of the clans.

Nervous energy mounted up inside of him as the dark grey tom stealthily slid through the shadows, winding in and out of the trees and thickets of bramble. Thorns snagged at his pelt, but Dewclaw ignored them, carrying onwards. Would Redflower actually be here to meet him? Would she forget?

The thoughts swamped him, weighing down on him heavily, and when he shed the cover of shadows to step into the clearing, he half expected to find himself face to face with all five clans. But instead, he found himself to be completely alone. Or so he thought.

It was rather unsettling; he was so used to the Gathering Clearing being to crowded with cats, it felt so much bigger empty. There was an eerie silence. In the distance, a bird sounded an alarm cry.

That's when he spotted the figure amongst the branches of the great oak.

"Dewclaw! You came!"

Relief came and slapped him in the face as the nimble tortoiseshell-and-white warrior leapt down from the branches, bouncing towards the stocky grey tom. She wore the widest smile, her green eyes swimming with enthusiasm as she reached him, instantly rubbing against him affectionately.

It took a heartbeat or so for Dewclaw to find his voice, so stricken with joy at the sight of the beautiful tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, "O-Of course I came," he purred softly, nuzzling Redflower gently, "Why wouldn't I?"

Redflower just grinned, "Last night seems like a _moon_ ago!" she stepped closer to the dark grey tom so their pelts were brushing, "I was so worried you wouldn't come," she admitted, her gaze flickering to her paws briefly before drifting back to the dark grey warrior. Their gazes locked for a moment and Dewclaw, captivated by the lush green depths of her eyes, found himself unable to look away.

When he at last was able to tear his attention away, the dark grey tom took a deep breath, "Are you… Are you okay? After what happened last night, with WindClan and ShadowClan not being very, uh, friendly," generally concerned, he let his gaze rest on the pretty young she-cat.

Redflower shuffled her paws uncomfortably, "I'm fine. There was a bit of unrest amongst my clan, but we're okay," she mewed softly, avoiding his gaze for a moment, "But that can wait another time. We don't need to talk about stuff like that here."

Dewclaw opened his jaws to speak, then closed them again. They sat in silence for a moment, when Redflower lay her head on Dewclaw's shoulder. The dark grey tom was taken by surprise at her action, but quickly relaxed, giving off a soft purr.

"I've missed you so much," the pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat confessed, gazing up at the broad-shouldered tom.

The dark grey warrior smiled, the words like warm rays of sunlight on his pelt, sending warmth rushing through him, "I suppose it has been a little odd not having you around," he meowed, amusement flitting behind his dark amber gaze.

Redflower gave him a shove, "Hey!"

The dark grey tom rolled onto his back, grinning, "Okay, Okay, so maybe I have missed you. A lot," he purred, warmth for the SkyClan warrior kindling in his gaze, "Enjoying your life as a _warrior_ now?"

Redflower nodded eagerly, green eyes bright, "It's great!" she purred, "Whitepaw got her warrior name too- Whitefern. It would be more fun with you though," a little of the excitement faded from her eyes, replaced by a wistful longing.

Dewclaw's felt a pang within his heart. How he wished they were in the same clan sometimes, no borders to separate them, no warrior code opposing them. _Opposing us from what? Being friends?_ He gave a little sigh, _friends._ The word felt too small. If only there were some way they could be more...

He planted a tender lick on the pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's forehead, "I'm here now," he murmured softly in her ear, "We have this moment, we have tonight."

For a moment, the SkyClan she-cat just gazed up at him, the sadness in her gaze slowly replaced by warmth, "You're right," she rose to her paws, pulling away from the dark grey tom, "I know what we can do. How about a tree climbing contest!" she began to dart towards the trees that edged the clearing, green eyes bright with excitement.

Dewclaw's heart sank, "Tree climbing?" he echoed, a prickling unease rising from his paws, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," he attempted to hide his unease at the mention of tree climbing, he didn't want Redflower knowing about his fear of heights. The thought of her finding out was simply mortifying. He couldn't embarrass himself like that in front of her.

The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior slowly stopped, turning to face the dark grey tom, "Why? Does little Dewy Paws not like climbing trees?" she teased, amusement glimmering in her soft green gaze, "Wait. Does Dewy Paws have a little _fear_ of climbing trees?"

The dark grey tom swallowed, meowing as smoothly as possible, "Of course not, that's ridiculous. Why should I be scared of climbing trees, I have no reason to be afraid of anything," afraid that his eyes might betray him, he distracted himself by smoothing down his thick grey fur, focusing intently on the task and mewing between licks, "I'm just tired. There was a gathering last night, you know?" he paused for a moment, glancing up at Redflower, but not quite meeting the SkyClan she-cat's gaze, "And anyway, my name's Dew_claw_ now, you can't call me Dewy Paws any more."

Redflower smirked, padding closer to him once more, "Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's true, you're tired. You look exhausted, I'm surprised you haven't fallen asleep on your paws," sarcasm rolled off her words, "I do suppose you're right. I guess I'll have to call you Dewy Claws instead now."

The dark grey warrior sighed, "Wonderful. You have a true gift at giving names. Dewy Claws," he rolled his eyes, "I should be calling you Reddy Flowers."

If anything, his new nickname was worse than the old one. Dewy Claws! Really? She couldn't have thought of a better name, could she?

Redflower laughed, "Ha! Reddy Flowers, that doesn't even make sense, you old furball."

"Hey, who are you calling a furball?" mischief glinted in the dark grey tom's dark amber gaze. He bounded after the the spotted tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, bowling her over, "If anyone's a furball, you're the furball."  
For a moment, the pair of cats just caught their breath, their gazes locked. Redflower batted playfully at the dark grey tom, "I don't want tonight to ever end," there was a wistful tone to her mew, her green gaze a little distant.

Dewclaw took the time to just absorb himself in her eyes. She had beautiful eyes, he'd always though that really, privately. He daren't say it of course. They sort of reminded him of lush, green leaves; bright and brimming with life.

His simple response to the pretty tortoiseshell-and-white warrior's words was a soft mew, gentle and almost inaudible, "Me neither. Not ever."

It was in that moment, that Dewclaw was sure he could hear Redflower's heart beating; steady and strong, in unison with his own. He just smiled.

* * *

**Now, before anyone says anything, yes, I am aware of the fact that Lilystream aren't actually cousins. Lilystream is actually Molespots' aunt, but it just sounds weird because she's younger than he is and it's all just a little odd. So for convenience, they are now cousins! xD**

**Too tired to write any more, live, love, read and review!**

**Love Leafy x**


	4. Chapter Three

**I am so sorry this is so late! I've just been so incredibly busy it's been unreal. Thankfully things have calmed down a little and I've got the Easter Holidays now, so two whole weeks of getting stuff done. Hopefully that means I can write future chapters for you all so you don't have to wait so long for updates in the future! Originally this chapter was intended to be far longer, but I wanted to get something up for you quickly so, sorry about that. This is an awful chapter, just a warning, it's so rushed and all over the place.**

**Q&A**

**Q: "What inspired the name "Blue Moon"?"**

**A: I really wish I could have some really cool story for how I thought up with the name, but I honestly don't. xD I heard the saying 'Once in a Blue Moon' and I just kinda thought, 'hey, it's not every day that you find out there's a fifth clan and you have to return it and all that bla, it's like once in every blue moon.' xP That's really how it happened I think... :3**

**Disclaimer - I, unfortunately, do not own Warriors.**

**~ .:Review Replies:. ~**

**Willowdream of ForestClan ~ I know right? So adorable. 3**

**Orangeflight ~ Thank you so much! :3 Sorry this chapter took so long!**

**Foreverwifeh ~ Thank you! #DEDSHIPPING for the win! xD Baha, that really made me laugh. :D**

**KatieK101 ~ Aw, I'm afraid the contest has ended now! So sorry! Thank you so much for reviewing! I always look forward to your review. ^^ As for the names thingy... It's funny you should say that about having a whole notebooks of names 'cause I do as well! We must be twins or something. xD Don't worry, all the names for new characters, like kits that will be born in the near future, are already planned out and most of them are unique. Coincidentally there's actually a character with the Timber prefix in this chapter, and there's definitely a Fallenkit and a Dusk-kit being born at some point. ^^ Thank you so much for all the Q&A questions! It's a great idea, having a Q&A section on the Blue Moon website, I might try and get something like that going actually! :3**

**WyldClaw ~ Yeah, Dewclaw and Redflower are both quite naïve, I don't think they quite realise what they're getting themselves into... And I know right? Redflower does seem to have the gift of giving awesome nicknames. xD I was originally going to have Ambersky be a mentor to one of the kits, but then I decided against it unfortunately. I think she becomes good friends with Flamekit though once she's older. :3 And about Honeypaw? Totally, Honeypaw is awesome. I love her so much, she's like my baby. xD**

**arcticfoxlover ~ Thank you! Onestar's a weird character really, I don't like him that much. He was awesome as a warrior though, I agree. ^^**

**Raven cries Nevermore ~ Welcome new reader! It's time for your initiation. xD Just kidding. I'm glad you like my writing, thank you so much! It really means a lot. :3**

**Numbuh 227 ~ xD Thank you!**

**Brackenflame ~ Aw, thank you so much! -virtual hug- Well, I'm sorry it took a little longer than usual! You can blame homework for that. :/**

**koilered ~ Thank you! :D**

**Frostblaze ~ Oh my gosh, thank you so so much! That really means a lot! -huggles- **

**Clearfeather ~ He he, coincidentally this chapter was always going to be based on Redflower. So here you go! A Redflower chapter! :3**

**Silkbreeze-Of-ThunderClan ~ :3 In answer to your question, I think that's just the way Dewclaw is. He always felt a little left out as a kit because Snowfall and Ambersky were really close and always playing together, so I think it comes a little from that.**

**Goldentail-Of-WindClan ~ Thanks! :3 He he, I have a lot planned for this series, a lot more. :) Love your name by the way! :3**

**mzmingle ~ Thanks so much! :3 Haha, it could've quite easily been Breezepelt really. Funny enough he will be appearing at some point in the future. Oh and thank you for pointing that out! Sometimes when I'm typing fast I make silly little mistakes like that. xP**

**Cupcake ~ Here's the update! Sorry it took so long! Been so busy! I'm not dead though, thankfully. You know, one of the things I always worry about, if I were to die tomorrow, is that I'd never get to finish Blue Moon and you guys would never get to read it. :/ I always worry about that.**

**Stunna13 ~ Thank you so much! :)**

**Well, without further ado, Chapter Three! I'm so sorry, it's really short and rushed. **

* * *

_Redflower_

There was no tiredness in the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's joyful, springy movements as she emerged from the cave that hosted the Warriors' Den that morning, eyes wide and bright with hope. Far from it, Redflower was on Cloud Nine, overjoyed with the events of the previous night. She just wanted to share her happiness with the world, to reach out and let everyone feel what she was feeling right now.

She just couldn't get those precious moments spent with Dewclaw out of her mind, even if she wanted to. They'd agreed to meet again in a few days, much to the SkyClan warrior's delight. Redflower couldn't wait, and it hadn't once occurred to her that by meeting the dark grey ThunderClanner she might be breaking the Warrior Code. They weren't anyway, so she'd decided, there was nothing opposing two cats meeting and just talking. Or at least, if there was, there shouldn't be.

That morning, the sky bore a new lick of paint, differing from the previous day; it's new coat was a wash of pale blue, with flickers of cloud drifting across lazily, gently ushered by the soft breeze.

The previous day, Leafstar had travelled along with two of her warriors to RiverClan, to discuss borders between the two clans. They'd received a surprising welcome and the SkyClan leader had returned satisfied with their agreement, the border being set shortly afterwards. However, they still had to reach an agreement with WindClan.

A little territory across the Thunderpath which had previously been neutral had been claimed as SkyClan's in the past few days as well, to help support SkyClan's growing numbers. Redflower hadn't yet ventured beyond the Thunderpath, but she was looking forward to fully exploring their new home.

As the young warrior bounded down the rock-path into the centre of the red-stone hollow, her gaze was quickly caught by a dark ginger pelt. _Father!_ Redflower felt like she hadn't talked to the SkyClan deputy in _moons!_

With great enthusiasm in her steps, the spotted tortoiseshell-and-white warrior bounded over to the dark ginger tom, green eyes brimming with warmth, "Sharpclaw!"

He turned, his gaze flickering across the hollow until it settled on his daughter, he instantly broke into a smile, beckoning her over with a sharp motion of his tail, "Redflower, you seem rather happy this morning," he purred, briefly smoothing down his chest fur for a few moments, "Settling into life here now, I see?"

The young warrior skidded to a halt before her father, "Yeah," she beamed, green eyes bright, "I love our new home, it's even greater than our old one!" she meowed enthusiastically, tail flicking from side to side, "I'm so glad we found this place," her gaze drifted to their surroundings for a moment.

Sharpclaw smiled, briefly glancing over his shoulder at where a group of warriors were collected together, looking to him expectantly, "It's a wonderful home, but so was the gorge," his gaze briefly turned wistful, then he blinked it away, gesturing to the warriors behind him, "As much as I'd love to speak with you, Redflower, I've got to lead a patrol out now."

"Oh," there was no hiding the disappointment in the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's mew, "I mean, that's okay, don't let me keep you waiting," she'd been desperately hoping to be able to spend some time with her father, her sister too. Redflower had thought that after the journey, things would settle down. But it seemed not.

Sharpclaw was always up to his muzzle in his duties, whilst Whitefern had just been downright ignoring Redflower for some reason. The spotted tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat couldn't think why.

Sharpclaw gave a smile, "I'd better go," his gaze briefly trailed to the members of his patrol, Whitefern was amongst them, "There's always later though, or tomorrow maybe? We could go hunting if you like?" he offered, gaze light with a gentle warmth.

Redflower nodded slowly, "O-Okay, I guess I'll see you later then."

Sharpclaw dipped his head, giving a motion of his tail as he began to pad forwards, beckoning for his patrol to follow as he shot a brief glance over his shoulder at his daughter, "Bye!"

The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat watched as Sharpclaw began to ascend the rock-path, his patrol, consisting of Creekfeather, Rockshade, Whitefern and Cloudfoot, trickling after him. It was only when they dissapeared from sight that the young warrior, giving a little sigh, began to make her way over to the Fresh-kill pile. Mouse-dung! Why did Sharpclaw always have to be so busy with his duties, she never got to spend time with her father anymore; it just wasn't fair.

Giving a respectful nod to where Echosong and Patchfoot were sat side by side in the dappled shade of a hawthorn bush, Redflower delicately plucked a small mouse from the fresh-kill pile. It was still warm, freshly caught. Despite a lack of hunger, Redflower devoured it quickly, her tongue swiping around her jaws in satisfaction.

Slipping briefly into a stretch, the dappled warrior gave a little smile, letting her mind retrace the night's events. If she closed her eyes, she could practically picture the scene, hear Dewclaw's voice, soft in her ears –

"Hey, Redflower!"

Her thoughts were jolted away from her, evaporating like mist in the sunlight. The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior lifted her gaze across the hollow to the ginger-and-white she-cat lightly picking her way towards her. Redflower smiled, green gaze lightening with warmth as Brightwing reached her, greeting her with a friendly tip of the head and a warm purr, "A beautiful day, huh?"

Redflower rose to her paws, eyes bright, "I know right?" she agreed, giving a friendly nod, her tail flourishing enthusiastically from side to side, "New-leaf's finally here!"

Brightwing gave a warm _mrrow_, tipping her head to one side, "I know we haven't spoken much since I became a warrior, but I tell you what; you haven't changed one bit," she meowed affectionately, her gaze clouding a little. She quickly blinked it away before continuing, her tone warm, "Anyway, Frecklewish asked me to try and collect some borage leaves, Tinycloud needs some. I wondered whether you'd like to join me? It'd be nice to have a friend along."

The dappled warrior gave a soft purr, "Of course I'll come with you!" she mewed brightly, green gaze aglow in the sun's soft light, "Why didn't she ask Brackenpaw to do it though? He's the medicine cat apprentice, shouldn't he be doing stuff like that?"

Brightwing began to lead the way towards the rock-path, pawsteps light against the rocky ground, "I think Wolfkit had a bit of a cough, Frecklewish wanted Brackenpaw to just check over him," she meowed, uncertainty flickering behind her gaze, "I'm not entirely sure though. I think that's what she said. She seemed a little flustered, I think Aspenkit and Sootkit got into her herb supply."

The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior fell in beside her clanmate as they began to ascend the rocky path that led out of SkyClan's new camp, "Kits will be kits," she murmured softly, amusement dancing in her leaf-green gaze. Breaking into Frecklewish's supply of herbs sounded just like the sort of thing Sootkit and Aspenkit would get up to. Although they were only two moons old, they'd been causing all sorts of trouble since SkyClan had found their new camp. Frecklewish had just started to build up her supply of herbs, to organise it and place it in the little dips in the cave walls of her den; to have it all disrupted by a couple of troublesome kits would be frustrating.

Redflower didn't blame little Sootkit and Aspenkit though. The other four kits, Tinycloud's litter; Wildkit, Lark-kit, Wolfkit and Frostkit, were still very young, not quite a moon old. Tinycloud was very protective over them, desperately worried that something would come to them, like her first litter.

Redflower's gaze clouded, just at the thought. She'd been a young apprentice when Tinycloud had birthed her first litter, only seven moons when they were swept away by the river that tumbled through the old gorge, rather like the one that meandered through SkyClan's new home. There had been two kits in the litter, almost six moons old at the time, two brothers; Timberkit, the eldest, and Crowkit, the little one. Whilst Tinycloud was sleeping, the two kits had snuck out of the Nursery. Timberkit had boasted to his brother that he could leap across the river, and when Crowkit hadn't believed him, he tried to show him. He fell into the river, which after heavy rain was well above the normal depth and had almost swelled its banks. Crowkit, in an attempt to save his brother, leapt after Timberkit. Sparrowfoot, who'd been an apprentice at the time, spotted the two kits, but couldn't reach them in time. Their bodies were never found.

Tinycloud had been absolutely distraught. She didn't want her second litter to come to the same fate, what mother would? You couldn't blame her being so protective over them after what she'd experienced with her first kits.

Redflower knew that Wolfkit and Frostkit had opened their eyes in the last couple of days. Wildkit had been the first to open his eyes, on the day before SkyClan had reached their new home. Now just Lark-kit had to open her eyes. Tinycloud had promised her kits that when they'd all opened their eyes, they could go out into the red-stone hollow for the first time.

"Redflower?"

The dappled tortoiseshell blinked for a few moments, slowly letting her gaze drift to Brightwing, "Oh sorry, was just thinking."

The ginger-and-white warrior smiled, touching her tail lightly to Redflower's shoulder, "No worries," her green eyes drifted to the sky, "Now, Frecklewish said that borage grows best in forests," she muttered thoughtfully, half to herself.

The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior nodded, "Right. We could check out that little clumping of forest there?" she gestured towards it with a flick of her tail, "I mean, it's only a little wood, but it should grow there right?"

The warrior nodded, "With luck, Frecklewish said that it's quite common, so it shouldn't be hard to find."

"Okay…" she drifted off into silence for a heartbeat or so, "So, what does borage look like again?"

Brightwing chuckled lightly, amusement dancing in her green eyes, "You're hopeless you know, I would've thought you'd know what borage looks like."

"I'm no medicine cat, how am I supposed to know?" Redflower poked her friend playfully, mischief flaring in her bright green gaze.

The ginger-and-white she-cat gave a little smile, "You really haven't changed at all," she murmured absently. She blinked, before continuing, "Borage has little blue, or sometimes pink, flowers, a little like stars. Oh, and furry leaves."

Redflower let the information sink in for a moment, _blue or pink star-like leaves, furry leaves, got it._ She grinned brightly, "Let the borage hunt begin!"

* * *

With jaws firmly clamped around the easily distinguishable furry green leaves of a borage plant, the two warriors entered camp side by side. Redflower didn't hesistate in racing over to the Medicine Cat's Den, one of the caves midway up the red-stone cliff, and depositing her findings in a pile on the floor. Brightwing hadn't been kidding; the leaves were really furry and now, the little tiny hairs were stuck to her tongue.

Spitting some of the little hairs out, with a distasteful, "Ppph!" Redflower gave an expression of disgust. She let her tongue hang out, desperately trying to get rid of the little hairs by licking her paws. _Ugh, they're everywhere!_

Frecklewish appeared from the back of the den, slowly emerging from the shadows. A poultice of some sort clung to her mottled paws and when she spotted the dappled warrior, she smiled, "Redflower! You managed to find borage then," her gaze trailed to the pile of hairy, green leaves, "Where's Brightwing?"

"Here," Brightwing entered the den, her mew ever so slightly muffled by the herbs she carried in her jaws. With great care she lay her herb bundle down beside Redflower's pile. The dappled tortoiseshell she-cat noticed Brightwing didn't seem to have gotten any of the little hairs in her mouth, "Hey, how come I've got loads of the little furs in my mouth, and you've got none at all?" she protested, a little annoyance in her gaze.

The ginger-and-white warrior let out a purr of amusement, "How'd you manage to do that?" she chuckled, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Redflower didn't reply, continuing to lick at her paw. Most of the little hairs had now been transferred from her mouth to her paw, much to her relief. The warrior swiped her tongue around her jaws, seeking out any little hairs that still remained.

"Thank you so much for doing this," the medicine cat meowed gratefully, her gaze lingering on Brightwing for a moment before flickering to Redflower, "Tinycloud will really appreciate it."

Brightwing and Redflower dipped their heads in unison, "Our pleasure," the ginger-and-white warrior mewed softly, green gaze light.

Frecklewish smiled warmly at the two warriors, her eyes bright against the shadows of the cave. She tipped her head to the two young cats before collecting the borage leaves together and aligning them at the back of the den.

Brightwing's gaze rest on the dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, her eyes suddenly widened, "Oh, mouse-dung! I completely forgot!" she hastily got to her paws, "I was going to share tongues with Berrystep! I'd better go!" she disappeared into the sunlight, Redflower could hear her thundering pawsteps as the young warrior raced down the little rock-path that led down into the central hollow.

Redflower turned towards Frecklewish, "If you don't mind, I'd better go too."

The mottled medicine cat smiled, "Of course, no need to ask," she purred softly, amber eyes warm.

The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior grinned, "Thank you, Frecklewish," she moved towards the entrance, welcoming the sunlight that reached in, "Bye!"

The young warrior let her paws guide her down the path, a little cautious of falling. The sun was high in the sky by now, its warmth soaking into Redflower's silky pelt and sending ripples of delight through her. She stopped before the little stream that swept through camp, pausing to take a drink from the clear water. It was only a very shallow stream, a little wide, but still not at all deep. The deepest part was the pool beneath the waterfall, but the rest was only just up to her belly fur. Tinycloud certainly didn't have to worry about her kits being swept away by the current; the stream was only flowing very gently, slowly drifting through camp and disappearing into one of the caves. Redflower suspected it was one of the underground streams that led to the lake.

The water was cool and refreshing on her tongue. Redflower lifted her gaze, letting it wash over the camp, raking over her clanmates, as they made their way around the hollow, about their duties.

Berrystep and Brightwing lay, their pelts pressed together, sharing tongues beside the waterfall, their tongue strokes rhythmic. It was not far from them that a small dark grey tom and a golden brown tabby she-kit tumbled about, wrestling each other to the ground. Sootkit and Aspenkit. Redflower smiled warmly. Firesong watched from a distance, in a seemingly interesting discussion with Fallowfern and Stormwhisker.

Sandypelt and Plumwillow had just returned from a hunting patrol, clearly having been successful and pleased with their catches, which hung proud from their jaws. A few of the elders; Redflower's mother, Cherrytail and Petalnose, were basking in the sun by the river. Brackenpaw emerged from the shadows of the nursery, looking quite content. _Wolfkit's cough can't have been that bad then, _Redflower realised, with a great sense of relief.

Everything all seemed so perfect, the way it was supposed to be. The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat couldn't help but just grin to herself.

A scrabble of pawsteps and the rolling of pebbles quickly caught her attention and she let her gaze rise to the rock-path. At the top and racing down, out of breath, her flanks heaving and her gaze nervous, was Whitefern.

With an increasing urgency, Redflower lurched to her paws, padding over to her sister, "Whitefern, is everything okay?" she tried searching her sister's gaze, but the white warrior just shut her sister out, blinking and turning away. A crowd of cats had begun to gather round the young warrior, concern in their murmurings.

Whitefern took a shaky breath, panic darting behind her deep green gaze, "A rock pile collapsed," she gasped, deliberately avoiding Redflower's gaze, "Sharpclaw and Cloudfoot… they're trapped underneath."

Panic immediately flared in Redflower's heart and her eyes widened, suddenly losing all power of speech _Sharpclaw's trapped! My father…_

"Someone get Frecklewish and Brackenpaw," Rabbitleap ordered, his gaze not straying from Whitefern. Mousepaw scampered off in the direction of the Medicine Cat's Den, returning with the medicine cat and her apprentice shortly.

"Take me to them," Frecklewish's mew was calm and clear, but there was no hiding the anixiety in her amber gaze. She carried a bundle of herbs in her jaws, as did her apprentice. Brackenpaw didn't reveal any emotion he may be feeling, he was rather quiet in fact. But Brackenpaw had always been a rather strange character, so it didn't bother Redflower much. All that mattered to Redflower right now was getting to her father.

Whitefern nodded slowly, gradually regaining her breath. She didn't speak, just motioning with her tail for them to follow before racing up the rock-path. Frecklewish and Brackenpaw followed, hot on their heels, Rabbitleap. Redflower was right behind them, then Cherrytail.

Rabbitleap paused briefly to call over his shoulder to the remaining cats in camp, "Stay calm everyone, alert Leafstar of the situation. Don't let anyone else out of camp in case of any more rock falls," his tone was calm but firm.

Several of the cats gathered below nodded, whilst Berrystep scrambled off in the direction of Leafstar's den.

"Let's go," Rabbitleap muttered.

Not a further word was exchanged as they travelled. Conscious of stirring any other rock-falls, they travelled at a steady pace, but not too fast. It didn't take long to reach the site of the rock-fall.

Rockshade and Harveymoon were working side by side, digging furiously at a pile of dust and rock. Redflower's heart faltered. Beneath all that… Beneath all that was her father… _Father…. Daddy…_

Redflower, Whitefern, Rabbitleap and even Cherrytail, despite being a little frail, didn't hesitate in helping Rockshade and Harveymoon. The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior dug frantically, furiously shovelling up pebbles and rocks. It invaded her nose and cloaked her in dust, but she didn't care, not in the slightest.

"They're both under this?" Rabbitleap's mew, directed at Rockshade and Harveymoon, was gusty. He seemed a little panicked, compared to his usual calm, collected self. It took a moment for Redflower to remember that Cloudfoot was Rabbitleap's son; it was no wonder he was so worried.

It was Rockshade who responded. His thick black pelt was flecked with dirt and Redflower noticed he seemed to be limping a little, "Yes."

"Sharpclaw, please, Sharpclaw… Please be alright," Cherrytail was whimpering, green eyes flushing with a painful hope. Redflower couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling.

They seemed to be making ground, the dappled warrior catching a glimpse of dark red fur beneath the rubble. A tiny whisp of hope kindled within her heart, _please be okay, you've got to be okay._

A pained moan sounded from underneath the rocks. Redflower instantly gave a small smile, _they're alive! They're alive!_

It all happened in a blur; suddenly two bodies were visible, one a dark brown tabby with distinctive white paws, the other a dark ginger-pelted tom. Both their pelts were coated in dust and stained with blood, but Sharpclaw…

Rabbitleap and Rockshade heaved Cloudfoot out from under the rocks, whilst Redflower, Cherrytail and Harveymoon managed to release Sharpclaw. Whitefern seemed to have dissapeared.

Heart racing, eyes wide, Redflower searched her father's body for signs of life, any little signal that he may still be alive. Brackenpaw and Frecklewish were seeing to Cloudfoot, _What about Sharpclaw?! You should be taking care of Sharpclaw!_

The dark ginger tom suddenly spluttered into life, giving a dry cough. For the first time, Redflower forced herself to look properly at her father. The dark ginger tom's pelt was crimson with blood, a long gash stretching down his flank. His back legs were splayed out awkwardly, but they didn't seem to be at all injured. Several smaller wounds marked his face and body, but none as awful as the long gash. Redflower couldn't look at it, it was just too much.

Sharpclaw's only movements were the frail, weak rising and falling of his pelt as he breathed. His eyes flickered open and upon recognising his mate and daughter, he attempted to smile. Redflower felt a sob rising within her.

Cherrytail appeared unable to speak, just whimpering softly, pressing her nose into the dark ginger tom's pelt.

"D-D-Da-d-ddy," The dappled warrior choked out, sobbing softly, "D-Daddy-y-y, you're going t-to be ok-kay. Frecklewish will h-heal you, D-Daddy," her words were interupted by gaspy breaths. Her gaze turned to the SkyClan medicine cat, "W-What are you doing? You've got to… You've got to h-help him."

The mottled brown she-cat tentatively stepped closer, resting a paw on the SkyClan deputy's chest. Her knowledgable gaze picked over him briefly before she pulled back, shaking her head, amber gaze wistful, "I'm sorry, Redflower, Cherrytail. There's nothing I can do," her eyes rested on the tortoiseshell elder for a brief moment before she returned her attention to Cloudfoot. The dark brown tabby tom seemed in a lot better shape than Sharpclaw at least.

"Redflower," a weak, raspy mew drew the young warrior's attention back to her father. She swallowed, trying to smile for the dark ginger tom, but it was almost impossible.

"R-Redflower," he repeated, stammering a little over his words. Redflower could hear the pain in his voice, and not just the physical pain from his wounds, but the emotional pain as well. Longing whispered in his eyes. Redflower forced herself to meet his gaze, "D-don't ever f-forget…" he broke off, giving a gaspy breath before continuing, "Don't ever forget t-that… that I'm so proud of you… Of you, of Whitefern… Robinsong and Flintclaw too… I couldn't…" he was interrupted by yet another gasp. His body tensed and he screwed up his face, gritting his teeth, as if enduring a lot of pain, "I couldn't be more proud to be your father."

"D-Daddy," Redflower whimpered between violent sobs, stepping forward and pressing her muzzle into her Father's soft pelt. For a brief moment, as she let his familiar scent wrap around her and tickle lightly at her nose, she felt like a young kit again, "D-Daddy, I love y-you. Don't leave, you can't leave," she begged, green eyes filled with pain. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. It was a dream, it had to be. StarClan couldn't just take Sharpclaw like that, they _couldn't._

"I love you too," his mew was scarcely audible. Redflower could already see the light fading from his eyes, his breaths becoming shallower and less often. The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior felt another pelt brush against her, tortoiseshell just like hers. _Cherrytail._

The elderly tortoiseshell she-cat stepped forward and crouched down beside her mate, pressing her fur against his. Sharpclaw made a sound that vaguely resembled a purr and for a moment, he was smiling.

Instinctively, Redflower took a few steps back; leaving her mother and father to have a bit of space. It didn't take long, perhaps a few minutes? She caught a few snatches of their conversation,

"I'll see you again, some day."

"No, please. Just hold on a little longer. I can't… I can't live without you."  
"It's my time, my love."

"B-but, but"-

"I love you."

Redflower lifted her gaze from her paws to her father and mother. Cherrytail still laid pressed against her mate, but Sharpclaw was absolutely motionless. Not a breath stirred his dark ginger pelt, not a word leaving his jaws. His eyes had lost their glow and were a dim, glazed reflection of what they used to be.

There was silence for a heartbeat, then Cherrytail whispered, soft and slowly, violent sobs shaking her whole body, "I love you too, Sharpclaw."  
Redflower rose to trembling paws, stepping forwards, a lump in her throat. _He's not dead. He can't be dead._ But as many times as she tried to deny it, she knew in her heart it wasn't true. Cherrytail didn't utter a word as her daughter lay down beside the dark ginger tom's body.

And as she gazed down at her father, she felt her heart sink. Sinking, sinking, but it never seemed to reach the bottom, it only fell deeper. Deeper into a chasm of deepest despair. Sharpclaw was gone. He was really gone.

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun! Sharpclaw's dead! Bet you didn't see that coming!**

**I'm so sorry it's such a bad chapter!**

**I bet you guys can't guess who's going to be deputy... Nah, you probably can actually, it's pretty obvious. :)**

**Live, love, read and review! Don't forget about the Q&A!**

**Love Leafy x**


End file.
